Extraterrestrial
by Kioasakka
Summary: Zim was locked away in a lab for five years before Gaz finally broke him out like she'd promised. They were going to finally be together. Of course, their plan is not without severe opposition, which means to silence them both for good. ZAGR. DibOC.
1. Prologue

—

Prologue

—

He was green.

He was naked, and covered in wires.

She reached out, so close to the tube that her breath clouded its surface, and brushed her fingers against the glass, more gently than she'd ever touched anything.

His eyes snapped open.

They were fully pink, very large, bug-like—and they locked on hers, small and amber. Her breathing quickened and her heart pounded fiercely against her ribcage. He was alive. She'd had her suspicions, but knowing something was much different than actually seeing it. She meant to lean in closer to the glass, but his gaze frightened her. _I came back for you,_ she said silently. _I told you I would. I promised._

Her fingers somehow found the proper button. She'd shut off the security and cameras, and knew no one would come at the sound of the tube hissing as it opened and the fluid sizzled into the drain at its bottom, nor at the sound of his wet body falling against the floor before her. His wires were tangled, but she ripped them away. She knew it wouldn't kill him. She knew he didn't need them to live.

She'd backed away to give him room, and now stood still, her breathing ragged, her heart pounding. He slowly stood and, getting hold of his legs, took a step toward her. Those dark pink eyes never left hers, and where she expected anger she found only emptiness. Her own legs felt too weak to support her.

Three steps were all he needed to reach her, and then his legs gave out. He tumbled on her, and she let him bring her to the floor. Her skin burned at his touch, wet from fluid and cold as his blood. She dared to look into his eyes.

"You're late, earth-female," he hissed. His voice, which she had not heard in years, dripped like honey on her face.

She bit her lip. "I know," she murmured, looking away. "I'm so sorry."

His arms found their way around her, and he held her tightly as he kissed her neck, face, mouth.

"I'm so sorry, Zim."

It was the second time she let him see her cry.


	2. Attraction

A/N: This may be a little raunchy, but I find it unnecessary to make my whole story rated M because of one scene that isn't even graphic :/ Then again I did read _The Time Traveler's Wife_ when I was eleven, so maybe my idea of what's appropriate for "teens" is a little skewed, LOL.

I'm not planning on going into any sort of detail, either, as to how Zim and Gaz could possibly... since Zim undoubtedly does not have the parts Gaz would want. Lol. Just roll with it. ;)

So, yeah, here's a **WARNING** if you are sensitive to this kind of thing. It's definitely NOT graphic, but this chapter can probably be skipped if you're uncomfortable anyway.

—

Chapter One:

Attraction

—

She was nine when he arrived on Earth. He adopted a pitiful disguise that did not hide his green skin, nor did it fool her or her brother, Dib; yet somehow, no one else knew.

The alien's name was Zim, and she found him as infuriatingly annoying as she found everyone else. He gave her brother fuel to continue on with his nonsensical paranormal studies, chasing Zim around and bothering her with incessant chatter about the damn alien.

"Would you please just _shut_ _up_?" she would ask, completely exasperated. "I don't _care_ about _Zim_." And she didn't. Not yet, anyway.

It happened when she was fourteen. Zim had gotten taller, a lot taller, though she didn't know it was not normal for his kind. Dib was late coming home, and she simply assumed he was at Zim's doing something stupid. Driven by hunger and irritation, she made her way to the alien's lair, which doubled as a house for disguise, and snuck past his pathetic defenses and into his home, then down into his lab.

Surprisingly—and frustratingly—Dib was not there. But Zim was, and his antennae were free of his wig. Though she had seen him out of his disguise before, there was something quite different about it now. Just those two simple antennae were enough to stop her cold in her tracks and her breathing to slow.

He seemed to notice her at last, for he then turned to face her, demanding loudly, "YOU! How are you here and not in your—" But then, he stopped.

His eyes were without their lenses. His skin was so… so freakishly green. He looked not unlike a giant insect of some sort. And yet her skin prickled under his gaze and heat flowed to places they'd never flowed before. She felt feverish, and her heart was pounding, slow and hard.

For once, he could not speak. He was gripped by the strangest feeling, an icy-hot sensation that chilled and boiled him at once. What was this? He hadn't the faintest idea. And yet her enlarged pupils and fair skin beckoned him. The soft curve of breasts that were not quite finished developing, the hips she'd gained as if from nowhere, and the purple hair that caressed her face like a breath…

He had to taste her.

Though not exactly aware of how it happened, he had crossed the distance between them and had his mouth inches from hers. They were so close they could taste the other's breath, and his clawed, three-fingered hands were rising as if to seize her face. When she didn't resist, they fell to rest on her enflamed skin, cupping her cheeks with a tenderness that would have surprised them both, had they not been so beyond such reactions. And then his mouth touched hers, touched her sweet and soft lips, and all hell broke loose.

The fire was too much for either of them to handle. Within moments their mouths were open and he was slipping his snakelike tongue in to wrap around hers. A quiet, involuntary moan escaped her, and he couldn't help himself; they had somehow ended up sitting on the floor, their legs wrapped around each other, one hand gripping her neck as he continued to kiss her, the other up her shirt and under her bra.

There was nothing gentle about either of their actions now; her hands were digging into his back and she crushed her lips against his, teasing the inside of his mouth with her tongue, which he tickled with his. She bit down hard on his bottom lip and he grunted, squeezing her breast in turn until she cried out in pain. Her top and bra were soon discarded, along with his clothes, until they were both sprawled naked on the floor of his lab, desperately entwined in each other, not quite sure of what they were doing, but not caring, either.

It wasn't as painful as Gaz had always heard it would be, but it wasn't super comfortable, either. She knew that to reach the good she had to feel the bad. But it wasn't feeling too bad anymore, actually… in fact, it was starting to feel all right. She felt that moment of heat and arousal spark again when he finished, and as he collapsed on her chest, she knew why this sort of thing was done.

Slowly, after what felt like forever, he raised himself up on his arms and looked at her, into her eyes. To her surprise, his eyes half-closed and he leaned down to place a faint, gentle kiss on her lips.

His suspicions were correct. She tasted fantastic.

He gazed at her, and suddenly they were both extremely embarrassed. Her face turned bright pink, and he put his hand behind his head. They sat up and scooted away from each other, both fumbling for their clothes. When they'd dressed, Zim dared to look her way. She was rubbing the back of her neck and her face was still tinted red.

"So," she said, avoiding his gaze. "What now?"

Zim was a little startled and confused by the question, though it was definitely on his mind as well. He cleared his throat. "Well," he began hesitantly, "the Gaz… now belongs to Zim. And, in turn, Zim belongs to Gaz."

He watched for her reaction. She seemed satisfied by the answer.

"But _only _to the Gaz," he added quickly. "And it is very secret. You understand this?"

She nodded. "Our secret," she whispered.

That urge to touch her overwhelmed him again, and he found himself scooting beside her and holding her face in his hands. She lifted her eyes to meet his.

"Never forget it," he murmured, and his lips were on hers, slow and tender.


	3. Mistakes

—

Chapter Two:

Mistakes

—

[Two Years Later]

It was funny how normal life could be, when there was really nothing normal about it at all. Though she was in a secret relationship of sorts with an alien, still she went to school, did homework, played video games, ate cereal, annoyed her brother. It made her laugh to think about.

She would never have called Zim her "boyfriend," not even to herself. But what other word could describe their relationship? Other-species sex partners? It sounded so cold, not to mention disturbing. And it sounded so very inaccurate. To be sure, it might have started out that way, but things had changed in two years. What was Zim to her now, at the still tenderly young age of sixteen? The person she went to when she needed to relieve her sexual tension? The person to whom she did not speak except in utter and total privacy? The person she went to when she was just too damn lonely to sleep alone another night?

She had a secret picture of her and Zim she never showed to anybody, which she kept hidden in the empty battery cartridge of an old game she used to love to play. During the day, if the bitter loneliness was too much to bear, she would remove the picture and keep it beside her. The crease lines from where she'd folded it were at the danger of being torn easily after a year, but she always handled it with care. Now was one of those days.

Her phone buzzed, and she was embarrassed by how elated she was that the text had been from Zim.

_'I miss you,'_ it read.

She blinked for a moment. Her heart rate accelerated and she was flooded with warmth. He had never said that before. She glanced at the picture of them and held it up to her lips, then kissed it.

_'I miss you too,'_ she sent back. _'Should I come over?'_

The moments she spent staring at the phone, waiting for his response, were agonizing.

_'No,'_ was the answer. Her heart fell. She made to reply, when an immediate follow-up text reached her:_ 'Look outside, earth girl.'_

Look outside? Why? She moved over to her window and stared out it. At first she saw nothing. But when she turned around and saw Zim standing in her room, smirking at her, she had to laugh.

"Now how'd you do that?" she asked playfully.

"Zim does not share his secrets," he informed her. "Is the earth female not pleased to see me?"

She threw her arms around his neck and held him tight. His arms went round her and pulled her closer to him.

"Why are you here?" she murmured into his shoulder.

"I believe I said so in my message of text," he replied, stroking her hair gently. "Zim missed his Gaz."

"I missed you too."

He moved to kiss her, but she turned her face away. "I'm sorry, Zim… I'm not in the mood today."

"I do not want that from you tonight," he told her, sounding hurt. "Is it not okay for Zim to just kiss and hold you?"

There was a pause, and then— "Well… I don't know. I don't really know what to say to that, actually."

He moved away from her, and she instantly regretted her words. He looked at her with contempt. "It seems that the almighty Zim has, in a rare occurance, made… a mistake. I shall return home now. For it is clear to me what Zim really means to Gaz."

"What? No, Zim, no, that's not what I—"

But he was already gone.

She stood for a moment, staring at the place where he'd been before he'd zapped himself away, and then, yelling loudly, swung her fists into the wall as hard as she could. The jolt of impact shot up her arms, but she didn't care. She screamed as she snatched the picture off her desk and ripped it to shreds, each tear feeling better than the last. But when she was left with nothing but a pile of what had once been her most prized material possession, she had only loneliness and self-hatred to give her company while she wept.


	4. Dye

A/N: Ahh, I really like this chapter, it's so cute :D Gaz is so stupid XD She has no idea that Zim is so completely in love with her. Not that he necessarily knows either, since it is Zim, but whatever XD

—

Chapter Three:

Dye

—

[One Year Earlier]

"Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday yesterday?"

She, newly fifteen, looked up, surprised at the tone of accusation. She shrugged. "I dunno, I figured you wouldn't be interested."

"Why wouldn't I be interested in your _birthday_?" he demanded.

"I don't know why you're getting so upset about this. What do birthdays matter to you?"

He glared at her. "I know they are of particular importance to humans, and therefore to you as well. What is important to Gaz is important to Zim."

She actually laughed. "Is it?" She looked at him, thoroughly amused. They were on the couch in Zim's house watching tv. It was about one in the morning. "How'd you find out it was my birthday?" she asked.

"The Dib-stink told me."

"Dib told you? Huh, that's weird. I wonder why."

"You still have failed to answer my original question, earth-girl."

"I have not. I told you that I didn't think you'd even give a fuck. Tell me, Zim, if you'd known it was my birthday, would you have done anything? Would you have even said anything?"

He frowned. "I do not know what I would do or say. Zim was never given the chance."

"Well, that settles it, you see? You'd've done nothing. So, let's forget about it."

He stood and faced her. "Did I _say_ I would have done NOTHING? Do you really think so little of the amazing Zim?"

"Can we just fucking drop it? Why is this upsetting you so much?"

"You do not want Zim to be a part of your life, do you? You do not tell me things that are important like when your birthday is. I do not even know your favorite color."

"It's purple, _obviously_! Are you that stupid? You have no interest in being in my life, nor I in yours. You know that!"

"ZIM knew NOTHING of the SORT!"

"Well you know now!"

"Masta and Gaz havin' a fight?" asked Gir, suddenly appearing between them.

"GIR!" Zim cried. "Go away! Can't you see I am busy talking?"

"We're not _talking,_ Zim," Gaz snapped. "And you can go fuck yourself."

"What? How did we come to _this_? What did I say that was so wrong?"

"Fuck you, Zim. Good night." And she stormed out.

An hour later, she was still fuming as she got into bed. Who the hell did Zim think he was, asking about personal things like her birthday? Didn't he know that talking like that would imply he meant more by their relationship?

_"You do not want Zim to be a part of your life, do you?"_

She wasn't sure what she wanted, concerning Zim—it used to be so simple. Burning passion and hot sex and all that—really, it was a no-brainer. But lately she'd been getting these weird… feelings in her chest. She and Zim had been hanging out more late at night after satiating their thirst, watching movies together and stuff, but they rarely talked. Why did he care anyway?

—

Two days later, he sent her a text and told her to come and see him. Severely not in the mood for any of that, she refused without a thought. Then something strange happened: he called her.

"Hello?"

"I require your presence at my home," said Zim. "It is of utmost importance."

"I'm not sleeping with you today, Zim. So you can forget it."

"Did the Gaz-human hear ANY mention of intercourse in Zim's words? No, she did not. It is something else. You must come."

Something else? What else could it possibly be? Though she wanted to just say no and hang up, her curiosity bit at her. Finally, she grumbled, "Fine, I'll be right over," and his response baffled her.

"FanTASTIC! Zim is delighted. I will expect you shortly." And he hung up.

_Okay,_ thought Gaz, _what the fuck?_ She hurried as quickly as she could to Zim's, swearing that if he had tricked her, she'd cut his face.

She was greeted at the door by Gir, who took her hand and led her down into the labs. She tried to pry information out of the robot, but he said nothing that made any sense. As usual.

When the doors opened and she stepped off the platform and into Zim's red laboratory, she was stopped dead by the sight. In the middle of the room was a table draped with a purple cloth and decorated with candles. Zim stood beside it, with a purple rose in his three-fingered hand.

"Happy belated birthday," he said, holding out the flower.

She was rooted to the spot, but Gir pushed her forward and she managed to somehow move again. She mechanically took the rose from him and examined it. "How did you make it purple?" she asked.

"Please, I have superior Irken technology at my disposal!" the alien exclaimed. "Do not trouble yourself with the methods."

She smelled it. It smelled just like a real rose, despite its unnatural color. Her fingers were just barely stained with the dye.

She looked up at him, suddenly suspicious. "Who are you," she asked, "and what have you done with Zim?"

He was offended. "I am throwing you a birthday dinner and you do not believe it is something that Zim would really do?"

"Well… no," she admitted. "This seems pretty out of character for you."

"Pah!" He waved his hand dismissively. "What is to be said of my character? Nothing. Now, let us engage in birthday-ly dinner-sation."

She was more shocked than moved, and the feeling of astonishment only heightened as he pulled out her chair for her and sent Gir away to get the food. It was pizza: Gaz's favorite.

"So?" he asked. "How is it? Is the Gaz pleased?"

"I—" She stopped to swallow hard, then said, her voice suddenly trembling, "Why did you do this?"

"Why? You ask why?" She expected him to smile one of his crooked, impish smiles, but he was completely serious, his pink eyes locked fully on hers. "Is it not obvious? I wish to be a part of Gaz's life."

That was the first time Zim saw her cry, and the first time she thought that, maybe, just maybe, he might truly care about her.

After she'd stopped crying—and had reassured him that he'd done nothing wrong, nothing to hurt her, that she was crying because she was happy—and she was actually smiling at him, and he at her, and they actually did look very happy, there was a flash.

Zim was unsurprised; Gaz turned and saw Gir standing there with a Polaroid camera. The picture came out and he handed it to her. When it finished developing, she smiled at Gir. "Thank you," she said, "it's beautiful."

"D'awww, Gazzy so prettyyyy," cooed the robot.

"Just a little something to remind you of what this is," Zim told her.

She never bothered to ask what he meant by that, but she smiled anyway and said, "I'll treasure it forever."

When she returned home the next day, she hid it in the battery slot of an old game she'd loved to play.


	5. Apology

A/N: Yay, an update! It's only been like... eight months XD; The next chapter should be (longer) up in a couple days.

—

Chapter Four:

Apology

—

[Present]

It had been nearly a week since their last conversation, and Gaz was going mad with loneliness. If she saw Zim at school, he avoided her, and she was too proud to seek him out at his home. Except that, well, pride was awfully lonely…

Her thumb hovered over the Send button on her phone. The words she'd typed—_I'm sorry_—were burning into her eyes. It seemed so impersonal to send a text. It was very late Saturday night, and her eyes were red from crying earlier. There was really no point in denying anymore; she liked Zim, a lot, and she needed him. Now all she had to do was tell him. Hopefully then he would forgive her.

Mind made up, she swung her legs off her bed and pulled on her boots. She snuck out of the house like she had done hundreds of times, and hurried to Zim's like she had also done so many times. That bizarre green house with the purple roof had never looked more like home, and never so intimidating, as it did that moment. Her hand shook as she rung the bell.

The seconds that passed were like hell. Each moment felt like an eternity, and her heart was beating so hard she thought it might burst. But then, at last, the door opened, and she pushed past the little robot and into the elevator she always took to his lab. She was so nervous—she chewed her lip, her nails, and felt like she was going to be sick.

The doors opened, she stepped out, and he was at his computer, as always. "What is it now, Gir?" he asked, not turning his head.

She said nothing, and bit on the heel of her palm. Had this been a mistake?

"Gir! Answer me—" He turned and froze, those big pink eyes catching hers.

"Zim," she murmured.

He scowled and looked away. "What do _you_ want? I'm _not in the mood_ tonight."

She blushed furiously, but stepped toward him. "I came to say… I'm sorry."

His antennae perked up, and he looked back at her. "You're… what?"

"I'm sorry," she repeated. "For what I said, and for being basically a bitch to you this whole time. I don't want to do that anymore. I want to not fight anymore. I…" She blushed more and averted her eyes. "I like you. I want to be your girlfriend."

He frowned and tilted his head. "Were you not already?" he asked. "I have observed human courting behavior… this thing you call 'dating,' with 'boyfriends' and 'girlfriends.' I merely assumed the same applied to Zim and Gaz. Was I wrong?"

She covered her mouth with her hand and shook her head. "No. You weren't."

"The Gaz-female has expressed a liking for me, the great Zim. That is what I have been trying to tell you. Zim likes the Gaz very much. You deeply offended me. However, I accept your apology. Please, come to Zim. It has been lonely."

She flew into his arms and kissed him, her heart aflutter with happiness.


	6. Discovery

A/N: Uh oh, now shit's gonna start happening. For those of you who have read _Operation ZAGR, _you'll recognize Amy. She's kind of my staple in the way of Dib's arbitrary girlfriends XD.

—

Chapter Five:

Discovery

—

Dib wasn't blind, or stupid. He knew something weird was going on with his sister. For two years now she would randomly disappear, and not be home all night. He'd brought the matter up with their dad, but the professor couldn't be bothered.

"I'm sure she'll be back soon," he'd say, and when he was right, he'd then say, "What did I tell you, son?"

There was also something going on with Zim. The alien's attempts at taking over the world had become decreasingly threatening, and sometimes there would be weeks in between takeover attempts. It made Dib suspicious—but overall, it made him bored. And idle hands _are_ the devil's playthings.

He began to search Gaz's room when she wasn't there, but he never found anything. He wasn't sure even what he was looking for. He was seventeen now, and his girlfriend of almost a year was becoming quite fed up with the Zim obsession.

"You've got to _stop_ this," she would tell him. "It's not healthy."

"You don't understand, Amy," he'd insist. "Zim's an alien!"

"I _know_ he is, but he's pretty much stopped trying to take over the world. And anyway, even when he does, he's never successful. He's incompetent as any kind of invader. So stop worrying."

Reluctantly, he'd admit, "You might have a point…" and she would say, "And on top of that, don't worry so much about Gaz, either. I doubt she's getting into trouble. She comes to school, and she always ends up back home sooner or later. She's probably just out with a boy."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of."

Though he was neither blind nor stupid, he could not seem to put two and two together. He was nearly eighteen years old when he finally made the connection. Of course, it had a lot to do with walking in on them while they were writhing under the covers in Gaz's bed.

He must have passed out, because the next thing he could remember was waking up in the hallway, and busting into Gaz's room, only to find her alone and thoroughly pissed off.

"What the hell is your problem?" she demanded. "Why are you slamming doors and yelling?"

"I—you—" he stammered. "Zim!"

She narrowed her eyes. "Tell me," she said coolly, "you did not just wake me up because of something Zim-related."

He gulped, and tugged on his shirt collar nervously. "Uhh… I could've sworn he was, um… in here, with you…" His entire face turned crimson.

As did hers, with a cold rage. "Is that the kind of thing you dream about?" she hissed.

"N-no! Not at all!" He began to back out of the room. "I, uh… oh… um… good night, Gaz!" And he slammed the door shut.

He thought it must have been a dream—it had to be, or he'd go insane—yet the thought wouldn't leave him. _Zim and Gaz. Gaz and Zim._ Gaz had begun her nighttime disappearances almost three years ago, when she was fourteen. Zim had gotten lazy and lax in his takeover schemes around the same time.

Was there a connection?

_Of course,_ he thought. _There must be._ Yet he shook with terror at the thought.

—

Gaz waited a few moments. When she was sure Dib was gone, she peered under her bed, lifting the curtain. "You can come out now," she said, smiling demurely.

The alien smirked at her, then poked his head back out. "The things the almighty Zim does for you."

She kissed him. "Come on, let's finish up and then get some sleep. The bed's getting cold."


	7. Promise

A/N: If you couldn't tell by my newfound frequency in updates, I'm trying to wrap up this story as quickly as I can XD There are probably a good ten more chapters I can squeeze out of this thing, but I really want to finish a lot of the old stories I started up. Most I started over a year ago!

Anyway, do enjoy the update. If you want a better quality Zim story, check out _Operation ZAGR_. I'm updating that one, too. :)

—

Chapter Six:

Promise

—

"Gaz?"

"Yeah, Zim?" She smiled. She loved those moments when he called her by her name, without any of the add-ons he so frequented.

"If something should happen to me…" He paused and looked away.

They were lying on the grass in Zim's front yard in the dead of the night. They had been talking about the stars—Gaz pointing out her favorite constellations, and Zim explaining Irken conquest. She had begun to fade into sleep when he spoke up again. At his words, she held herself up on her arm and looked at him fully in the face, worry in her eyes. "What are you talking about?" she asked warily.

"Just—" He paused again. "If I ever end up discovered… if I ever end up in one of your_ filthy_ human labs—"

"Zim, shut up. Don't talk about that, okay? It's never going to happen."

"No, Gaz," he said forcefully, sitting up. "Listen to me. This is important." He gazed at the grass between his knees. She sat up beside him, frowning. "It has come to my attention that such things are in fact possibilities… I need to know. Would you come for me?"

"Zim, what are you talking about… why are you saying this—?"

_"Would you come for me?"_ he repeated hotly.

She faltered, and blushed. "Yes," she murmured. "Of course I would. Why wouldn't I?"

"Because if you did, we would have to leave."

She shook her head. "Why are you telling me this?"

"We'd have to go far away and hide. I don't want to have to take you off of Earth if I don't have to, and I might not be able to if they seize my ships."

Her breathing shook, and she turned away from him.

"I don't want to ask you to give up everything for me. But I am going to ask if you would, if such things happened."

"I—I don't know what I would do," she blurted out, grabbing her head in her hands. "I don't want to think about it!"

"You have to!" he cried, grabbing her shoulder and turning her around. "Listen to me. You have to think about these things. For my safety—for yours! Do you understand me?"

She put her head to her knees. "Stop it."

"Stop being stubborn! I need to know if I should hope for your aid in my escape. Otherwise I'll need alternative plans."

"If I promise, will you stop saying this?" she gasped, feeling herself dangerously close to tears. _No,_ she thought. She wouldn't let him see her cry again. Not while she still had breath in her.

He sighed. "I want you to give me an answer, yes or no. It does not matter to me which you choose. But I desire an answer!"

"You haven't given me much time to think this through."

"I feel there may not be much time _to_ think it through, Gaz. We do not have luxuries such as time at the moment."

"What is it you aren't telling me?" she demanded. "What is going on?"

He shook his head. "Just answer me! That's all I need."

She yelled out in frustration. "Yes, okay? Yes! Of course I'll come… I'll always come for you… don't even say I wouldn't."

"You promise?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Yes… I promise."

He let out a breath of relief and pulled her to him. At that moment, his antennae perked up, and he looked across the street. Gaz, her head buried in his chest, didn't notice. To her he whispered, "It is getting late. The Gaz needs her sleep. I did not mean to frighten you so. It was only for my own assurance."

"You promise?"

He eyed the bushes across the street again, then stroked her hair. "Of course." He kissed the top of her ear.

She finally left, and as soon as she was out of sight, the figures in the bushes stood. He pulled out his phone and sent her a last text, before dropping it on the ground and crushing it under his boot.

Dib was the first to reach him. The others were all wearing dark masks.

"So, you stinky worm-babies finally got me," said Zim, crossing his arms across his chest.

"You know," said Dib with a sneer, "I thought you'd put up more of a resistance."

Zim smirked. "Make no mistake," he replied. "I have no intention of coming quietly."

He jerked to the left, then burst through them on the right in their momentary confusion. His PAK let out its metal legs to help him run.

The chase was on.


	8. Anticlimactic

Been sick as a dog today :( But I managed to finish another chapterlet (I seriously cannot bring myself to call them chapters haha) of this for you guys. I hope you all enjoy. :) And thanks to everyone who reviews. It really means a lot.

—

Chapter Seven:

Anticlimactic

—

She was screaming.

She was being swallowed whole by visions of Zim, slapped on an autopsy table and cut open down the middle, killed and maimed in the name of science, killed in cold blood by her brother—

_"Don't worry, Sis. He's good as gone now."_

Dib's unsaid words echoed through her mind. She was sure it would be reality. What else would he say? He wouldn't expect her to care, so she had to act like she didn't care. Right?

_I feel like I'm being torn to shreds._

_Like Zim._

The text frightened her most of all. She didn't get it until she was back at her house, and by then it was too late. When she read it, the shock and the realization of what it meant was too much—she'd bolted back to Zim's, burst into his house, but he was nowhere to be found. Neither was Gir.

What happened?

_Three words…_

Did anything matter?

She knew he'd been caught when she saw the van enter her driveway. It was headed for the lab. She hurried to follow it, but was stopped by her brother, who shook his head.

"It's over, Gaz," he told her. "You can't save him now."

"Like hell I can't!" she cried. "Why are you doing this? Why won't you let him go?"

"Don't you realize? This could mean great things for my scientific career—"

She slapped him, but he barely flinched. "Your CAREER? Do you think they'll actually give you any credit for this? And in the end, he's _harmless,_ Dib, and you know it!"

"He was plotting to enslave the earth, Gaz, and that includes you. You must know, deep down, you're nothing special to him."

His words stung; she held up her hand to slap him again, but he caught it and held it firmly. "I _am_ special to him," she hissed, overwhelmed with emotion. "I _am_—"

Dib pulled her to him in a tight embrace. "Gaz, I promise, I'm doing this for your own good. My intentions here are good."

She said nothing, to full of bitter sorrow and hate to speak.

"I have to admit I'm a little disappointed myself," he went on quietly. "After all these years, it just seems, well, I don't know… anticlimactic, almost."

_Anticlimactic?_

"Fuck you," she murmured, before pushing him away and going back into the house.

Once alone and safe in her room, she pulled out her phone. It was foolish to hope, and yet she held on to his final text with all the hope she could muster. She would go to him tonight. She would help him escape, and then they would leave forever.

_"I'll be waiting."_


	9. Roses

—

Chapter Eight:

Roses

—

[Five Years Later]

"Guess who."

Gaz smiled at the feeling of hands over her eyes, the sound of their owner's voice.

"Zac, stop playing," she said.

He moved his hands away. "I've got something for you."

She turned just in time to see the bouquet of red roses under her nose.

"Happy birthday," he said, his gorgeous human face beaming at her.

_'Human' face?_ she wondered._ Why did I think that?_

"I know you're not really into the whole girly-girl thing with flowers and stuff, but I really couldn't help myself. It's only this once, I promise. Forgive me?"

Gaz kissed him gently on the lips. "Thank you, Zac; they're beautiful."

He took her face in his hands and pulled her in for another kiss. His mouth was sweet and soft, his teeth were perfectly flat, and his tongue was thick. Everything about his kisses was wonderful. They were so loving, so sensual, so human—

_Stop that,_ she thought sharply, tensing in irritation at her wayward thoughts. _Stop it. That was a long time ago. It doesn't matter now._

"Gaz?" he asked, having felt her stiffen. "Are you all right?"

_"I'll be waiting."_

She turned away from him involuntarily, and her eyes fell on the roses in her hand. She saw in her mind not a bouquet, but a single rose, colored the exact purple shade of her hair. She closed her eyes and turned her head, but she could still see the dye stains on her fingers.

"Gaz?"

_Earth-female._

"Yes?" she asked, somewhat breathlessly. Why was she still hung up about this? It had been five years. Five years since the creature she had loved with the heart of a stupid teenage girl had been killed in the name of science. She had spent a good year in mourning, and then decided it was time to move on, for her own sake. He would have wanted that.

_"Would you come for me?"_

"Gaz… I love you, you know."

She nodded. "I know," she whispered, and suddenly she it made her sick to look at the roses, and for a moment she looked on Zac with revulsion—and then guilt. She shouldn't be thinking these things, or harboring any ill will toward Zac. It wasn't fair to him, or to her.

She met Zac her freshman year of college, and he took an immediate liking to her. He made it his mission to woo her, and bring her out of whatever dark hole she'd been in for some time. It took her about a year, but she finally warmed up to him and his advances, and agreed to go out with him. She was twenty-two now, and they'd been together for two and a half years. She cared about him, and he was a good friend and boyfriend, and a good lover. It had hurt her soul to let him touch her like that at first, but he waited patiently until she was ready.

He was smart, handsome, funny, and kind. He loved her, and she loved him. But just when she thought she'd finally forgotten about _him,_ she would crumble all over again. Zac didn't deserve that. He deserved someone who didn't desperately wish for someone else.

"I'm not feeling well," she told him, and it wasn't a lie. "I think I should lie down…"

"Okay," he said quietly, and he led her to the couch. "Would you like anything?"

"No," she replied, somewhat impatiently. Seeing the hurt in his eyes, she softened guiltily. "I'm sorry. I mean I should probably just rest alone for a bit… if that's okay."

He moved a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's your birthday," he murmured. He kissed her on the temple, and when she was sure he was gone, she let herself cry.

It was the first time she'd cried about _him_ in over a year. She missed him so much it hurt. Dib had never let her see the body, and she'd always been thankful for that… that wasn't something she'd ever have needed to see. But some skeptical part of her, the old Gaz who had all but died along with him, would reappear at times and doubt whether Dib had told the truth. Had Dib merely told her that he was dead so she wouldn't try to see for herself? Why would he have kept that from her?

The seed was in her head again, and it grew and grew until she was obsessed. Home wasn't far away—if she could just sneak on over and get into the lab—

_No,_ she thought, _I can't do that. What if he's alive? What will I do then? What will I do about Zac? _

_"Please, come to Zim. It has been lonely."_

"Oh, God," she moaned, biting her lip so the sobs would stay inside. "Zim, Zim… Zim…"

Zac stood by at the doorway, unbeknownst to Gaz, and listened with his heart in shreds. She was moaning that name again. He never said anything to her, but he had been woken in the night by the sound of her crying and saying that name in her sleep. It was not an often occurrence, but it was enough to hurt him. He knew he wasn't first in her heart. He probably never would be.

He looked at the roses and wondered how they'd returned to his hand. Sadly, silently, he moved away where he couldn't hear, and put the roses where he couldn't see.


	10. Offer

—

Chapter Nine:

Offer

—

It was three in the morning. Dib Membrane, age twenty-three, made his way stealthily into the deepest parts of the Membrane Laboratory. An official member of the staff, he had every right to be here, to go where he was going—and yet if he were caught, it would mean the death of both of them.

He arrived at last at the big empty room. In the center was a large tube filled with wires and a clear fluid. He approached and entered the code into the machine nearby, draining the fluid and releasing the wires. The door hissed as it opened, and the creature within stumbled out. Dib had tried to assist him once, but he had long learned that such help was unwanted.

"Sleep well?" he asked affably.

The alien steadied himself and shook his head, though not in answer. "It's been over a week, human," he accused. "Why has it been so long?"

"Sorry, Zim. You know I've been busy with wedding preparations."

"Yes, you and your beautiful love-squeeze," Zim sneered, waving his hand. "It's a shame you lovebirds won't be able to have the great Zim at your wedding. I happen to look amazing in a tux."

Dib laughed. "Actually, I wanted to ask if you'd be my best man."

Zim's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Zim is, of course, the very best of men; however I must admit I do not know what you mean by—"

"It means you stand by my side at the altar," Dib explained. "The best man is usually the groom's brother or his best friend. It's considered to be… kind of an honor."

For a moment, Zim was stunned, but he quickly regained himself. "While I appreciate the sentiment," he said loftily, "the Dib-stink has failed to consider some very important problems. The first of which being, I am neither your brother nor your best friend. We are enemies."

Dib shrugged. "I dunno," he said, "_I'd_ say that after all we've been through we're pretty much best friends. At the very least, we respect each other."

Zim scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "How can one as superior as I respect _you_?"

Despite himself, Dib grinned, and held his arms out wide. "I'm responsible for you now, aren't I?" he pointed out. "I'm responsible for your capture, I saved you from death, I continue to save you from death, and I let you out whenever I deem it fitting so your muscles don't fail you. You're at my mercy, yet I do not hold it against you."

"Pathetic how the one person most determined to destroy me ends up protecting me."

Zim looked so pitiful to Dib. Any shred of pride he could possibly have left was severely wounded. Five years in a tube for scientists to poke and prod at, question, and perform experiments on had beaten him down. His life had been just barely spared by Dib's quick thinking and successful persuasion of higher-ups. If Zim misbehaved or spoke at all of conquering the world, he could endanger himself no matter what Dib did. Being at Dib's complete and utter mercy was humiliating.

He hadn't seen Gaz, either, in all this time.

Dib had figured it out pretty quickly after that night when he had walked in on his sister and Zim that the two were together. The absolute horror at the thought had driven him nearly insane. He eventually calmed himself and discussed the matter with Amy. She hadn't been surprised.

—

[Five Years Earlier]

"You need to let them go," she told him. "He's not scheming anymore, and he was never a threat in the first place except to himself. Let them be."

"Amy, that _alien scum_ was _touching_ my sister!"

"I know, but you need to let it _go_. What if you did something rash? Took advantage of the situation and finally caught Zim? Well, then, you've won—but what if she loves him?"

He shook his head furiously, trying his best not to think of that. "Gaz could never fall in love—at least not with _Zim_—"

"Well what if he loves her, Dib? What then?"

His heart stopped cold. "That's not possible," he murmured. "Zim can't… Zim can't love, he's an alien. He's evil…"

"Alien or not, he's not going to enslave a planet if it endangers a woman he's in love with."

She had a valid point, and yet Dib did not want to accept it.

"Dib, if you get Zim killed, you may destroy Gaz. For her sake, please, just let them alone. Please."

His words felt like a thousand pounds. "I'm sorry, Amy, but… I can't."


	11. Guilt

A/N: Oh boy, shit's going down...

—

Chapter Ten:

Guilt

—

Dib went against Amy's advice and began to plan the ultimate trap for Zim. He was still disturbed by the idea of Zim loving his sister, and the thought consumed him until he was obsessed. Somewhere in his crazed thoughts, he realized exactly what he needed to do to. The thought of putting his sister in potential danger went against everything he believed in and made him sick to his stomach, but he had to do it. Besides, the plan would only work if Zim really did love Gaz; if he did not, then there would be no harm done to Gaz either way, and Dib would merely have to try again.

He confronted Zim, told him that he knew everything, and that his time was up. The law and science were behind Dib now, and they had decided to use Gaz as a weapon to lure Zim into a trap.

"They'll kill her if you don't turn yourself in," he told him. "They'll take her away and murder her—you need to turn yourself in. She's my sister."

"What do I care for your filthy earth-sister?" Zim demanded, attempting to call Dib's bluff. "Go ahead and destroy her; she means nothing to me."

"That's a lie. You love her. Don't deny it, because if you do, _she will die_."

Zim faltered for a moment. He turned his head away. "You would put your own sister in danger just to kill me?"

"It's not me. I'm just a messenger here to plead with you."

"But you _told_ them, yes?"

Dib frowned, feeling rather sheepish. "…Yes, I did."

Zim's eyes narrowed. "You're disgusting."

The words hit Dib harder than they had any right to. He clenched his fists, trying to stomach his guilt.

"Very well, earthling."

The human's mouth fell open. "Excuse me?"

Zim looked so directly into his eyes it made Dib's skin crawl. "You heard me," the Irken said. "I shall come with you, no questions asked. You may do whatever you like to me, so long as the Gaz remains forever safe."

Astonishment nearly made Dib weak at the knees. _He's… he's not even going to fight me? He's going to give up? Just like that? For… for Gaz?_

"I have only one request," Zim went on. "I wish to say goodbye to her."

Dib hesitated. _Well,_ he thought, _what could it hurt…really? I mean, if he wants it so badly…_ He nodded. "Yes, I believe that would be all right. But absolutely none of that—nyeaah nonsense! Understood?"

Zim rolled his eyes. "Always so eloquent."

—

Zim's acquiescence had rattled Dib more than he cared to admit. He felt somehow that he'd done something horrible—that, in sentencing Zim to death, he'd committed a cold-blooded murder. He could feel filth and blood on his hands, and he scrubbed them viciously until they did bleed.

He was plagued with guilt.

Amy and Gaz had been right… Zim was harmless. And he had stopped plotting to destroy or conquer the earth years ago. This obsession he'd had with Zim, spanning over almost ten years now… it would never stop, not if he let Zim die. Perhaps life on earth had changed him, perhaps his sister had changed him—it didn't matter. Zim was an innocent he had condemned to the autopsy table. And he had used his own sister as bait and blackmail to do it.

Zim was right. He _was_ disgusting.

Watching Zim say goodbye to Gaz… seeing how protective he was of her, how tender he was with her, how willing Zim, the egomaniac, of all people in the universe, was to give up his own freedom and life for Gaz's sake…

He had to do something. But what could he do?

It took every ounce of cleverness and persuasion he had to convince the scientists to not slice into Zim. It took even more than that to get them to simply keep him alive. It was an expense, they said, and one not worth the trouble— but oh, Dib said, think of how much more we could learn if we kept him alive for tests and questioning, than if we killed our only specimen.

He convinced them, but only just. Every day was a struggle to make sure they felt it was, in fact, beneficial to let the alien live another day. As the years went by the other scientists became more and more disinterested, and Dib was the only one who entered the room anymore—but all the money was coming out of his own pocket. And he was running out of cash.

Dib had made a wrong he was determined to correct. He explained his feelings to Zim, who remained cold toward him even after five years, and for Zim, seeing Dib stand there and tell him they were best friends was a downright slap to the face. Yet who was he to have pride anymore? He would never leave, and Gaz would never come for him.

"I told Gaz you were dead so she wouldn't do anything hasty," Dib had explained many times. "If she knew, she'd be trying her damnedest to break you out of here."

"Well, that _was_ the plan," Zim would mutter bitterly under his breath.

"You'd both be killed if she tried anything like that. I had to do it… please try to understand."

Zim understood, but it didn't make the wounds sting any less.

"Your second problem, foolish human," he pointed out, "is that I cannot simply be at your wedding. I would be recognized in an instant. And there are guards."

"We'll take care of the guards, and you can disguise yourself." He paused, then added, "Gaz will be there."

Zim clenched his teeth together. "I did not doubt it."

"She'll come and get you," Dib continued. "She'll release you and we'll use the wedding as a distraction… you two can get away, and go somewhere far away where it'll be safe."

"What makes you so sure I still want to be with her?" Zim asked darkly.

"Because… because, you still love her, don't you?"

"That is not the answer to my question."

Dib wasn't sure what to make of that, but he had to try. For Gaz's sake. To right this horrible, horrible wrong. "I ruined your lives," he exclaimed heatedly. "I know that. I destroyed you and my sister, put both of you in mortal danger, drained my pockets, strained my relationship, and all for what? For what? I don't even know anymore—I was a stupid fucking kid, and I apologize! I am so very sorry—and I know that means nothing to you, or to Gaz, but I promise, I will do whatever it takes to correct this. I will help you!"

"We don't want your help."

"Accept it anyway, because you need it and it's here! I don't care if neither of you ever forgive me. That's not important. What _is,_ is getting you two back together and sent away somewhere where you can be safe!"

Zim was silent for a long time, and Dib was going mad with it. Almost desperately, he cried, "Well, say something!" But he did not expect what Zim said next.

"I was selfish in asking her to come for me… and it would be selfish to ruin her life by asking her to keep that promise. Thank you for the offer, Dib, but I'm going to have to decline. She would never be able to see any of you ever again, and she's been through college—she's probably got a whole life by now. Whatever the case, it isn't fair of me, and I have no right to even wish she would keep such a foolish promise. You may have ruined her life, but I refuse to do the same."

"Zim—you don't have to…"

"Enjoy your wedding, and don't tell her I say hello, because I don't. It's best if she believes I'm dead."


	12. Alive

A/N: More of this garbage story! Hooray! That's what, three, four updates in the last week? I just wish this story weren't so damn awful T-T Maybe one day I'll revamp it. Or not. I shouldn't make promises like that now that I think about it. XD

—

Chapter Eleven:

Alive

—

Oblivious to Dib's plans, Gaz spent the weeks after her birthday spiraling down into a sickening obsession. She needed to go home. She couldn't be here anymore.

Zac knew she was conflicted, and finally decided to make it easier for her.

"You know I love you so much, and I would do anything for you," he said. "That's why I'm letting you go."

Though it had broken her heart, she was relieved. The pain of leaving Zac was nothing in comparison to the pain of losing Zim.

"You're a wonderful man," she told him. "You'll find someone who can love you with all of herself. You deserve it."

"That may be, but I _want_ you. Goddamn it, Gaz, leave before I change my mind and beg for you back."

She didn't need to be told twice.

Several days later around midnight, she got off the bus and was within five minutes' walking distance from her old house. She trembled with anxiety, but made herself keep going.

Her old key still opened the front door, and she found the place empty. Did Dib even still live here? She realized with some embarrassment that she really didn't know. Aside from a wedding invitation she'd received nearly six months ago, she hadn't contacted or been contacted by Dib since her graduation. She wasn't sure why she'd done that. Dib was the only family she had—their absentee father didn't count.

_Must've still been bitter,_ she thought. After all, wasn't it Dib's fault Zim was dead?

_Or not dead._

She was in her old room, and it was untouched from when she'd last been here. Dust settled over absolutely everything, and a cloud exploded into the air when she dropped her things on the bed. Hands empty, she shut the door behind her and headed for the lab.

—

Navigating her way through had been so easy. She'd been through this place thousands of times as a child, and it was not in excessive use at the moment. As a precaution, she turned off the place's security and cameras. No one was there anyway. She wondered why.

She wasn't exactly sure what she was looking for, but it only took around twenty minutes of searching before she found it. Her DNA signature registered and opened the doors. _Go figure._

What she saw almost made her heart stop.

It was Zim, floating naked in a tube of fluid, connected to a dozen wires. The door closed behind her, and she became nervous at his lack of response. Could he hear anything inside? Was he awake? Alive?

She walked toward the tube, her feet like molasses, and reached out, so close that her breath clouded its surface. She brushed her fingers against the glass, more gently than she'd ever touched anything.

His eyes snapped open.

They were fully pink, very large, bug-like—and they locked on hers, small and amber. Her breathing quickened and her heart pounded fiercely against her ribcage. He was alive. She'd had her suspicions, but knowing something was much different than actually seeing it. She meant to lean in closer to the glass, but his gaze frightened her. _I came back for you,_ she said silently. _I told you I would. I promised._

"Zim," she breathed. It was him. He was alive.

She could have cried.

Her fingers somehow found the proper button. The tube hissed as it opened and the fluid sizzled into the drain at its bottom, and Zim's wet body tumbled forward onto the floor in front of her.

She fell to her knees beside him. "Zim," she murmured in awe, barely able to believe this was real.

His wires were tangled, but she ripped them away. It wouldn't kill him. He didn't need them to live.

She stood and backed quickly away then, her breathing ragged, her heart pounding. He slowly stood and, getting ahold of his legs, took a step toward her. Those dark pink eyes watched her carefully, and where she expected anger she found only emptiness.

Her own legs felt too weak to support her.

Three steps were all he needed to reach her, and then his legs gave out. He tumbled on her, and she let him bring her to the floor. Her skin burned at his touch, wet from fluid and cold as his blood. She dared to look into his eyes.

"You're late, earth-female," he hissed. His voice, which she had not heard in years, dripped like honey on her face.

She bit her lip. "I know," she murmured, looking away. "I'm so sorry."

His arms found their way around her, and he held her tightly as he kissed her neck, face, mouth.

"I'm so sorry, Zim."

"I am surprised to see you here."

"It's been five years—I should've come, but I—I thought you were—" She choked on a sob and tears leaked from her eyes; it was the second time she let him see her cry.

He shook his head. "Zim understands why Gaz was so late."

The sound of him saying her name, just her name as it was given to her, made her heart ache and the tears come even stronger.

"But you shouldn't have come."

"What…? But I promised…"

At that, he relaxed, and kissed her tenderly on the forehead. He took her face in his hand and gently turned it toward him. He wiped away the tears at her eyes.

"Zim has missed his Gaz."


	13. Plans

A/N: Yay! An update! Hope you enjoy! I feel like it's a little less garbage than these chapters usually are.

—

Chapter Twelve:

Plans

—

It was weird, Dib thought, seeing Gaz again after all this.

She was different, that was for sure. She was somehow skinnier than she had been before, and her hair was grown out. She didn't wear as much black as she used to, though she still wore the same skull necklace she always had. She had on makeup that didn't look gothic or punky. It sort of disturbed him. Had his sister grown up while he wasn't looking?

He had come in to find his sister sitting in the lab room and talking with Zim. After the initial shock of seeing her faded, it began to intrigue him that the two were sitting on the floor having a calm conversation. Such a thing seemed so… odd. He wondered what they'd been talking about, but he didn't ask. Instead, he ignored his confusion when Gaz embraced him and welcomed it, and confessed to her his sins.

She was not furious, as he had expected, nor was there murder in her eyes. She didn't even threaten him. She'd merely sighed and leaned dejectedly against Zim. It was a reaction that, to Dib, seemed almost like defeat. He wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that—or any of it.

It was obvious, in a quiet way, that they loved each other. Zim didn't say much, but his body language was gentle enough that he really didn't need words. Gaz, too, responded to him in a way that was neither desperate nor serene, and she found any way she could to touch him, whether holding his hand or putting her head on his shoulder. They didn't kiss in front of Dib, though, which the human male was silently thankful for.

"How much does your bride know about this?" Gaz asked at one point.

Dib sighed. "She knows about you two—like I said, she's pretty much the one who told me. She knows about what I did and how that played out… it was bad; she almost left me. It didn't even help right away when I told her what I'd been trying to do to make up for it and that I'd saved Zim's life, though I'm pretty sure if I hadn't, she would have never forgiven me. She also knows that I let him out on occasion and that we talk… and that Zim knows. She knows about my plan to help you both run away, and she's all for it."

"Seems like she knows everything." Gaz leaned forward a little, her hand to her chin. "We're all walking through really deadly water, you know. If anyone gets even the slightest inkling that she knows anything, you'll have compromised her. You may have jeopardized her safety."

"Oh, God," he said, putting his head in his hands. "Don't remind me… I have thought about that and I beat myself up over it constantly. I never think, apparently. Not enough to save lives, anyway."

"Don't beat yourself up over it too much."

"Why shouldn't he?" Zim asked. "Maybe beating himself will prevent his forgetfulness next time. Perhaps he will learn to make smarter choices."

"I do the best I can!" spat Dib heatedly. "I'm trying to help you! Can't you see I'm trying to help you?"

"You've done nothing but hurt us, filthy _worm._ Your 'help' is toxic."

"I saved your life!"

"And perhaps you should have refrained!"

Dib gasped; Gaz did not visibly react.

"What are you saying?" Dib asked, incredulous.

Zim's eyes were slits. "It is no use dwelling on past mistakes, but when I told you it was for the best that Gaz believe me dead, I meant it. And, truly, maybe I should be dead. You have let Gaz and me suffer, and we will continue to suffer. At least had I died, she could move on with her life. Now she is tied to me, and she will be in danger too."

"I don't mind," she put in.

"No," he replied, "but I do. I want you safe and alive."

"I can take care of myself. I don't need a protector, though that's very sweet of you. I'm going to stay with you now that I've found you. I won't break my promise again."

"Zim never said he did not want Gaz to stay," the alien told her. "Things have changed now that you know I am alive. In any case, I am in the process of explaining to your brother why he must be smarter now. Which includes pointing out his prior stupidity."

Dib sighed in exasperation. "I said I was sorry. I'm doing everything I can think of to help you out now. After the wedding, during the reception, you two are going to escape to the west coast and hide."

"Does it not seem unwise," Zim drawled, "to have us _attend_ your silly human love ritual?"

"Gaz needs to go," Dib insisted. "She's my sister and I want her at my wedding, especially since I doubtlessly won't be at hers if she has one."

Gaz's eyes lifted to rest on her brother.

"You further insult the great Zim by claiming him to be your best friend and asking to be best man," Zim went on. "Very well, if Gaz goes; who shall question it—but I? I will be recognized instantly and taken away."

"I know, but—we can make you look different…"

"I very much doubt it. Will I be a random man you pulled off the street?"

"You could be Zac," said Gaz suddenly, and both males looked at her in confusion.

"Zac?" Zim frowned.

"Who on earth is Zac?" Dib wondered.

She shook her head. "I already told Zim… Zac is the guy I was with for the last two years before I came here. We broke up recently, and clearly you never knew about him…" She shrugged. "We can disguise him to look like him, or disguise him any way we want, really, and just say he's my boyfriend Zac, whom I met at school. You couldn't find anyone else and I was bringing him anyway, so, he's your best man."

There was a moment of silence. Gaz wondered sardonically if they were too dim-witted to understand what she was talking about. But then Dib grinned.

"You're a genius, sis!" he cried. "That's a perfect idea!"

She smiled crookedly, then glanced at Zim, who was still frowning. "Hey," she said, "don't look so broody. It'll all work out. See? It'll be great."

"Yes, great, of course," murmured Zim emotionlessly. "It appears I will be able to attend the Dibstink's nuptials after all."

He'd go along with it. It would make Dib satisfied, but it would also please Gaz. Still, it seemed like a horrible idea—and not only the wedding. It bothered Zim that Gaz had come back for him. Had he known then what he knew now, he would have never asked her to make such a promise. She would never allow him to vanish like that again, even if it meant putting her own life at risk. If he were captured again, she would not hesitate to fight tooth and nail to get him out—which would very likely end up with her being permanently silenced.

Still, it was a little enticing… truly being with Gaz, and being free for the first time in five years. It was risky, but a part of him wanted it more than he cared about the risk. He could only hope nothing would go wrong.


	14. Second

A/N: Another sad, short update. This chapter gets a bit into Amy's head, because even though I'm really not into OCs, I really like Amy a lot. I feel like she needs some say in all the crap that's happening.

—

Chapter Thirteen:

Second

—

Amy sat for a moment, thinking. Her wedding was later this afternoon, but her mind was clouded with other thoughts. She had been both shocked and amazed to meet Gaz and Zim in person again, and Zim without any disguise. She had been invited yesterday to go to the lab with Dib and Gaz and learn the plans. They were… unsettling, to say the least.

It was almost ironic how Amy had felt more connected to Zim during that hour in the lab than to either her fiancé or his sister. Gaz and Dib thought their plans were foolproof, but Amy had doubts, and she could tell that, though he said nothing directly on the matter, Zim did too. And why shouldn't he? His life and Gaz's were going to be in extreme risk. Alien or not, Zim was a man, and men do not like feeling helpless—especially concerning the safety of their beloved. Amy had to wonder at her own choice concerning Dib; did Dib not realize exactly how dangerous this was? Would he put her life at risk?

She knew he was well-intended. It was important to get Zim out of the lab and let him escape with Gaz. Still, Amy did not believe it was necessary for Zim to be in the wedding at all, regardless of the convenience for his getaway. Zim agreed. There were so many things that could go wrong. _And the road to hell is paved with good intentions,_ she thought wryly.

On a shallower note, for which she felt enormously guilty, it was her wedding after all, and she wanted it to be as perfect as possible.

Amy glanced in the mirror in front of her. Her warm red hair was pulled up into a regal, sweeping bun, with side bangs gently kissing her face. She'd just gotten her hair and makeup done in the last half hour, and had asked for some time alone from her friends and family. Soon she would have to return to them and eventually don the beautiful white dress she would wear down the aisle. Gaz, who was in her wedding party, had not arrived yet. She half-wondered if she'd even show up.

So far everyone seemed to buy the Zac story. It wasn't a big secret that Dib didn't have a ton of friends, so having Gaz's boyfriend fill the role of best man seemed a plausible concept. Amy had to admit that the disguise they'd come up with was quite excellent. Zim looked human, and nothing like himself. They'd utilized his personal technology to do the job… one he'd been too unintelligent to utilize properly when he'd first arrived on earth.

_No, that's rude,_ thought Amy, twisting her shirt in her hands. _Zim isn't unintelligent… he was naïve. It took him a while to figure things out. Understandably, really…_

She sighed and dared to look at her reflection again. Her eyes were a bright light blue. The dark mascara and eyeliner helped them to pop and shine. Yet they looked empty to her.

_What is wrong with me?_ she wondered. _It's my wedding day._

Amy loved Dib. She'd loved him since she was fourteen years old. She'd been the quiet, pretty redhead hiding in the corner alone behind a book, her eyes focused on only one thing. It had taken her a full two years before she'd mustered up the courage to talk to him, and once he noticed she existed, things began to happen. She'd always been fascinated by his talk of aliens and the paranormal, and she'd listen to him for hours on end as he theorized and plotted. Zim was, of course, almost always the primary topic of conversation. Over time, this became less and less endearing. Now she was quite more than fed up with it.

No matter what happened, Dib would likely always have an obsession for Zim. Why shouldn't he, really?—the real live alien he himself discovered, thwarted, and somewhat befriended over the years was not something one forgot easily. After what he'd done to Zim and Gaz, he'd become obsessed with making things right. As far as Amy was concerned, nothing Dib had done in these situations was right; the mess only seemed to get worse. Today would change things—either Dib's plans would succeed and he could, hopefully, begin to move on from it, with only minimal interest… or they'd fail.

Nothing good could come of failure.

Amy glared at her reflection, suddenly angry; she threw a blanket over it and, with a moment's hesitation, hit the side of her fist against the wall. She felt like crying, but her eyes were dry. This was too much for her.

_I'll always be second._

She leaned her head against the wall and begged herself to cry.

_I'll always be second place for him._

The tears refused to come.


	15. Wedding

A/N: Hi everyone, happy 2013! Here's an update for you :)

As always, thanks for reading and reviewing :) You guys are awesome.

—

Chapter Fourteen:

Wedding

—

Gaz looked up through her lashes at her ex-boyfriend.

The disguise was beyond perfect. Zim looked just like Zac. If she hadn't seen him change with her own eyes, she probably would have not believed it was Zim at all.

She took her place on the bride's side at the altar with the other bridesmaids, and glanced again at Zim. He was stiff, steady, and expressionless; nothing at all like Dib, who could not stop fidgeting and smiling like a maniac. It was almost surreal, really, being here at Dib's wedding.

The music was playing, but Dib barely heard it. Amy came down the aisle with her father and everything went quiet inside him. She was the most beautiful woman in the world, and she was _his_. She was about to become his wife. The very thought made him almost woozy.

Nothing could spoil this.

Halfway through the ceremony, Gaz had the oddest realization. She peeked at Zim questioningly, though he did not notice. Suddenly overcome with a mild panic, she began to look fervently among the crowd, hoping more than anything that she wouldn't find it—him—whatever.

She didn't. She could breathe again.

Then she became curious. After Zim's capture, what happened to his faulty robot companion? His house? His lab? She'd have to ask him later when they were alone after the wedding. She felt stupid for having not thought of any of this before now. Her thoughts and concerns and curiosity had been solely focused on Zim and his fate, and then on an attempt to forget him entirely.

Her eyes flicked over to where her father was sitting. Or, where he appeared to be sitting, anyway.

Professor Membrane had had an indifferent reaction to the sudden reappearance of his daughter, despite having not seen her since she left for college four years earlier. He'd sent a computer to her graduation by which he could watch, but it wasn't the same. Even when she met him again for the first time since her return, all he said was, "By science, you look like your mother. Son, please pass the salt." She had felt like smacking her head against the table.

Both Gaz and Dib had been surprised to see their father in person at the wedding, until he had explained it was merely a hologram, since work kept him from attending in person. Dib hadn't even had the heart to be angry, but he had needed to stifle unexpected disappointment. Gaz had merely walked away.

She wondered, and not for the first time, what her father's reaction had been to the discovery of Zim, and what his part in all of it was. The man was many things: unfeeling, mechanical, and only dimly aware that he was a father… but she couldn't imagine _evil_ as one of them. At his very best, he was a bit of a dork or a goofball, and she couldn't picture him not being as fascinated by Zim as his son. Surely Professor Membrane hadn't been the one to suggest killing Zim straight out. She felt silly for not having asked Dib such an important question, but she also knew that she didn't want to know the answer.

"Do you, Dib…"

Wow, were they at this part of the wedding already? Gaz had been so lost in her thoughts she'd been completely ignoring the ceremony.

"I do."

"And do you, Amy…"

Gaz looked at her brother. He was exuberant. She'd never seen him quite so happy before. Her eyes moved to Zac—er, Zim—and she wondered if the future held any kind of wedding for the two of them. She'd never really thought about marriage before. She and Zim loved each other; wasn't that enough?

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride."

As Dib leaned forward and pressed his lips to Amy's and the tiny congregation began to clap and whistle, Gaz felt a sudden surge of urgency and impatience. She looked at Zim again, who had become suddenly fidgety, and knew he was feeling the same thing.

The plan had been relatively simple. Zim and Gaz were going to run away to the Pacific Northwest, probably Washington or Oregon, and try to live quiet, normal lives. Dib had fashioned a duplicate to take Zim's place in the tube, and he was going to cut off the life supply and "kill" Zim, which would greatly alleviate his spending and stress. Gaz had very little they were taking, and Zim had nothing but his disguise technology, which was concerning to Gaz. She kicked herself mentally again for forgetting to ask Zim about his lab and possessions. What was wrong with her? Why hadn't she asked?

The ceremony was over and the guests were heading into another hall for the reception, which meant it was time for them to leave. Gaz went over to her brother to give him a hug, but as she did, she whispered to him, "What happened to Zim's lab?"

He whispered back, "It was destroyed after we caught Zim."

Her mouth tensed, though she'd expected that answer. "What about the robot?" she asked quickly.

"I don't know; I haven't seen it in years. Zim doesn't know, either."

She pulled out of the hug with a sigh. "Okay. Well, we're going to leave now. Have a… good honeymoon."

"Good luck, Gaz," he said, eyes serious. "Be safe."

He kissed her swiftly on the cheek, something he'd never done before, and then he turned and left to follow Amy and her family into the reception hall.

"Come along, earth-female," murmured Zac's voice behind her. Zim took her elbow in his hand. "We must leave now."

She nodded and turned away from her brother's disappearing shape, wondering when or if she'd ever see him again.


	16. Sincerely

A/N: Look at that mad fast update ;) I actually wrote this the same day I wrote the last chapter, so I'm technically cheating. Oh well, it's an update! Haha!

—

Chapter Fifteen:

Sincerely

—

[One Year Later]

_Dear Gaz,_

_I apologize for not being in as much contact with you as I should. Dib tries his best to keep in contact, but you and I both know how bad he is at that. I would have done it for him, but as you may or may not know, I've been pregnant for most of the year, and it's kept me both busy and tired. I know that's no excuse, though. _

_Hopefully you and Zim are in the same place, or else this letter will go nowhere. Dib says he hasn't heard anything from either of you indicating a possible change in address, but you never know, I suspect. If only I could just call or text or email you, rather than having to write an actual letter… but it's kind of fun, isn't it? Snail mail? Well, as "fun" as this whole situation could possibly be, I suppose… I'm not being inconsiderate, am I? If so, I didn't mean to be. Do either of you even have a cell phone or computer? (You don't have to answer that if you don't want to; it was mostly rhetorical, I think.)_

_Anyway, in case you haven't heard, I gave birth to a daughter, your neice, about a month ago. I'm mostly exhausted all the time now, but I felt so bad about not writing you that I am skipping a nap to do so. __Wow, a nap. I feel so old. Her name is Val, and I've got a few pictures enclosed for you if you like. I would've sent a flash drive, but again, I don't know if you have a computer, so I printed them out the old-fashioned way!_

_I wish I knew more about what you did and didn't know. Dib is so bad at communicating crucial information sometimes… but I shouldn't rag on him so much. He's actually been a really good dad, and he's very helpful, and he makes me happy. He says he wants to make up for the way your dad was while you two were growing up. But that brings me back to what I was originally going to say: the plan worked, we're pretty sure. The dummy of Zim that Dib hooked up before the wedding seemed to have been believed as real, and when Dib suggested to your father's hologram during the reception that it was time to dispose of it, he told him, "It's about time." I'm sure you know all this though, but I just want to make sure._

_Also, Dib is continuing to work "real science" with your dad a little, but he's mostly trying to look for other jobs. Your dad was sure happy when he went and double-majored in physics and chemistry, huh? He just got his Master's a few months ago, and he's thinking about getting his doctorate. Dr. Dib sounds like a good title, doesn't it? ;) Or maybe he'll try to become a professor like your dad. Ah, I'm sure you don't really care._

_Basically, no one has talked about Zim since, and your dad has almost no idea you're even gone, it seems. I think he thinks you're still living with your old boyfriend Zac. He doesn't seem to care too much. He's busy as ever, doing god knows what._

_I assume you're both working… what are you two doing? Are things doing all right? I wish you could come visit and see Val and Dib and me, but I understand why you cannot. I'm sorry they destroyed Zim's spaceship, too—what did he call it? a Voot Cruiser?—because if things got really bad, he could take you off the planet. But things seem all right, I guess? I really don't know. I hope so. Dib says you're alive and fine, last I heard. I've been kept mostly in the dark. I know it's for my own good, but sometimes I wish I weren't._

_Enough about me, though. If you could respond in any way at all, that would be wonderful__. But I won't put too much stock into it. I understand if you can't. Life here has been quite boring, but boring is safe, you know, so I won't complain._

_You'll notice Val has Dib's eyes and hair. Far cry for a blue-eyed redhead to expect anything else when marrying a man with brown eyes and black hair, haha. Oh well; there's always grandchildren. He's calmed down a lot—Dib, I mean. He barely mentions either of you at all, but don't take that the wrong way. I think he's slowly getting over his obsession with Zim, and I think he's starting to forgive himself for what happened. It's slow going, but it's definitely going, so I'm happy!_

_If you ever need help, you know how to reach us. We will do whatever we can._

_Sincerely,_

_Amy_


	17. Threat

A/N: So it's been, what, two months since my last update? Haha. I know... But at least I haven't given up on this story! :) Shit's getting real in this one!

—

Chapter Sixteen:

Threat

—

[Three Years Later]

_Monday, Apr 2_

"It's raining again."

"I know, Zim."

His pink eyes narrowed as he glared out the window. "Tell me again why we moved to the rainiest place on your filthy planet?" he grumbled. "I can't go _out_ in the rain."

"I know. I'm sorry."

He turned sharply to face her, his arms crossed over his chest. She was lying on the couch watching the TV. "What's wrong with you today?" he demanded. "Don't you care that our place of residence keeps me contained in this apartment because I cannot stand the weather?"

She sighed. "If you like," she murmured, "we can move to California or Arizona. It's a lot hotter there, though."

"Heat does not bother the great Zim. It is just this infernal, _constant _rain!"

"It really doesn't rain that often," she pointed out. She sounded exhausted. "It's mostly overcast. June's just… the rainy season. You know that. It wasn't much different weather back home."

"The earth-female has not answered Zim's question."

Her eyes closed, and suddenly she began to cry. This shocked Zim more than he cared to admit. He dashed to her side.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice panicked. "Why are you doing this?"

She wouldn't respond. He collected her in his arms, lifting her, and turned to sit on the couch, so she was in his lap. She reached her hand up to clutch at his shirt and turned her head into his chest, sobbing harder. These small gestures made Zim's anxiety heighten even more.

_"Gaz,"_ he said desperately, "tell me; what is the matter?"

She shook her head against him. "I can't… say," she murmured, burying herself further into him. "Not… not yet, anyway."

"Why not?" He gripped her closer, tighter, as if letting her go would make her disappear.

How could she tell him? They had been doing so well for over four years now; how could she tell him that their whole life was now compromised?

She wasn't really sure how it had happened, or even that it could. They'd never had an issue, ever, in all of their seven-year relationship. So she'd been caught completely off guard when she'd glanced in the mirror before stepping into the shower, only to find a horrifying bump she'd never had before. It was small, it was subtle, and she took a test anyway to be sure, but she had known without a doubt what it was.

She had written a letter to Amy, with whom she had had contact over the past four years. Despite herself, she really liked Amy, and regretted not being able to have a true sisterly relationship with her. Still, she looked forward to their written correspondence, finding it archaic yet oddly charming. Less charmingly, Amy wrote to Zim as well, and the Irken kept his letters under metaphorical lock and key. Gaz had tried to discern from both parties what they could possibly be talking about that she couldn't know, but neither would say a word. Gaz wasn't jealous—she knew Amy was beyond infatuated with her husband, and Zim would never stray—but it was rather annoying, and the cause of some anxiety for Gaz.

Her latest letter had been short and to the point:

_Amy,_

_I'm pregnant._

_Please help me._

_Gaz_

She had never asked for Amy's help before, but she desperately needed it now. She didn't know how to tell Zim, or what to do about it. She couldn't see a doctor. She had no idea what to do, or even what was growing inside of her. A child, obviously, but what would it be like? Would it even be human? Some kind of Irken-human hybrid? Whatever it was, it certainly wouldn't be viable for offspring of its own. Was that fair to bring a child into the world that she knew would never be able to have any? Did she even _want_ a child? It had never occurred to her as something she might ever want, but did that mean she didn't want one? Maybe she did, maybe she didn't, but it wasn't as if she had a choice now.

She could get rid of it, but how? If she didn't see a doctor, she would most certainly be risking her life. On the other hand, she had no idea what was inside her, and keeping it might risk her life, too. Dib was the closest thing to a doctor she could see, and he was definitely not one… not to mention, that would require seeing him in person so he could examine her.

She abated crying long enough to sigh. She'd have to either get rid of it herself, or keep it, and she wasn't particularly fond of either option.

She felt Zim press his lips to her forehead, and they brushed her skin as he whispered, "You mean everything to me."

Fresh tears bloomed in her eyes. _Hormones, probably,_ she thought, but was honestly touched. She clutched him tighter. "I know," she said, breaking down again into sobs.

—

__Tuesday, Apr 10, 1:03am__

The rain was coming down hard when Dib heard the knock on the front door. He frowned, wondering who could possibly be visiting at this hour, and glanced at his wife beside him. She had fallen asleep halfway through the last show they'd watched, and was still out like a light. Their daughter was asleep upstairs in her room. He smoothed back a stray hair on her face before getting off the couch and heading to the entryway.

When he opened the door, he was surprised to see his father. In person.

"Dad?" He checked behind him to see if Amy had woken, then looked back to make sure he wasn't actually seeing things. "What are you doing here?"

"Come out onto the patio, Son."

"Outside? Wouldn't you much rather come in?"

The professor said nothing, but merely stood where he was, an arm held out to indicate the space beside him. Dib sighed, then stepped out, closing the door behind him.

"Dad, it's like… one in the morning. Couldn't you have messaged me or, or, waited until morning or something?"

"No," said the professor coldly. "I felt this was more… dramatic."

Now Dib was thoroughly confused. "Dra…matic…? _What?_ What's this all about?"

Professor Membrane sighed. "Son, don't be coy with me. I know you've been lying to me this whole time, and it's time for it to end… or else."

"Lie about _what,_ Dad? And what do you mean, 'or else?'" Dib's skin began to prickle with goosebumps.

"You remember that alien, Dib? The one you always referred to as Zim?"

Dib's blood ran cold. "…Yes… Why?"

"I know he's alive."

Dib was frozen for a half-second, before swiftly regaining his composure and chuckling easily. "Oh, Dad, you're funny," he said. "You know we took him out years ago. He's long dead."

"Let's cut the bullshit, Son, shall we?" snapped the professor. "I _know_ he's alive, and I know he's got Gaz. And I know _you_ helped him escape."

Was that the rain thundering out Dib's hearing, or the sound of his wildly beating heart? He was icy all over, sweating now, and terrified.

"So…" The professor put his hands behind his back. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. You're going to reveal to me the location of Zim and Gaz—right now, and don't tell me you don't know it—and everything will be just fine."

"And if I don't?" Dib challenged, suddenly angry.

Though the professor sighed as if his next words were regrettable, there was a smirk in his eye that Dib did not miss. His anger switched like a light back to terror.

"If you do not," said Membrane simply, "I'm afraid you will have to suffer the consequences."

Completely out of his nature, Dib lunged for his father's coat collar and grabbed it tight. _"What consequences?" _he demanded furiously.

Much to Dib's surprise, Membrane brought his arm up and twisted Dib's hard the wrong way, causing his son to let go out of pain. The professor then brought his arm up and then down, striking Dib and sending him to the ground.

"Insolent boy," said the professor, clicking his tongue disapprovingly. "Get back on your feet."

Dib stood, dazed that his father was strong enough to knock him down. What he heard next made his entire world shatter.

"Give me the location of Zim and your sister," Membrane commanded, "and I will relinquish your wife and child. If you refuse…"

Dib didn't stick around to hear the rest; he had wrenched open the front door and barreled into the living room, where he was distraught, but not surprised, to see Amy missing. Wild-eyed, he ran for the stairs. "AMY?" he shouted, hoping fiercely that she had simply gone to bed. "AMY!"

She wasn't in their bedroom, and so he made a beeline for Val's bedroom. His five-year-old little girl was not in her bed anymore, but her bedroom window was open, and rain was streaking in and staining the carpet.

He searched the rest of his house feverishly, screaming his wife and daughter's names. He tried calling Amy's cell, but it was downstairs—not with her at all. He ran round the yard, soaked to the bone, but no one was there, save his father, still standing menacingly on the porch. His continued presence set a fire in Dib, and he ran to tackle him. Membrane sidestepped easily, then brought his leg, arm, and several well-placed fists around in a whirlwind that Dib could not keep track of.

"You know what you must do to bring them back," said the professor after he'd finished. "I know you will make the correct choice."

He left, leaving his son lying battered and bruised on the patio. Dib barely felt the pain from the assault; he was screaming inside from the agony of what had just happened. He wept loudly and for a long time, periodically crying out, "Amy! Valerie!" until his cries became soft moans, extinguished by the sound of the rain.


	18. Emergency

A/N: The plot was kind of supposed to actually go somewhere in this chapter, but I got so wrapped up in Zim's thoughts that I couldn't stop myself, haha. I love Zimmy X3

—

Chapter Seventeen:

Emergency

—

_Monday, Apr 9_

Zim didn't know what to do. Gaz had been acting very strangely since the other night. It had been nearly a week since then, and it felt like she was avoiding him. She took on more hours at work and adamantly refused to let him see her without a shirt on. He was extremely confused, and a little upset. Had he done something wrong?

He'd noticed she had also begun wearing a large sweatshirt at all times when he was around. She rarely wore stuff like that. She was moodier than usual, too. Yet any attempt on his part to discern the root of the problem was in vain. He couldn't for the life of him figure it out, and she was barely speaking with him.

While Gaz was at the coffee shop working one afternoon, Zim pulled out the most recent letters he'd received from Amy and reread them. Maybe they held any clues? He didn't see how, but it was worth a try.

Once a general correspondence had been established between Amy and Gaz, Zim decided to write as well. He expressed to Amy the concerns he had about his situation, and she acknowledged that those concerns were valid. He and Dib's wife had made a connection that day in the lab. They understood each other, and neither felt that Gaz nor Dib were careful enough. They didn't write each other often, and he was never addressed by name, but Zim made sure to be the one to check the mail, just in case; he didn't need Gaz reading through his letters. He could tell the difference between Amy's letters to him and to Gaz, both addressed to Gaz Membrane, because she put a bar in the 'z' of Gaz when it was meant for Gaz, and didn't when it was meant for him.

Her previous letter had gone as follows:

_Things have become strange around here. I keep seeing a mysterious van parked on the other side of the street from my home. I've tried to show Dib, but the van is never there when I do, so he thinks I'm maybe losing it. I don't see why I would be, but perhaps I am a little. I'm nervous, and I don't know why. Call it a woman's intuition, maybe, but something's not right. I swear the van is following me. I saw it again today when I picked Val up from preschool._

_It may be that we have to cede our correspondence for the moment… I may be paranoid, and it probably has nothing to do with you two, but I really don't know. Perhaps you shouldn't reply until I've given the clear._

_Amy_

He had meant to reply right away, but her suggestion that he not do so changed his mind. He'd meant to discuss it with Gaz, but had forgotten, and now he couldn't bring himself to; not with her acting so bizarrely.

Satisfied that there was nothing else he could use from the old letters, Zim checked the mailbox to see if there was a new one for him. There wasn't, but as he walked back to the apartment, the woman who lived next door came outside and, spotting him, hurried to his side.

"You'd better take this, dear," she said, a little perplexed, holding her cell to her shoulder. "Someone's on the phone for you. It sounds urgent."

Zim took it without a thought. Mrs. Hutch had befriended Gaz and, subsequently, Zim, to a small extent. Zim and Amy had established that, if there was an emergency, they would use Mrs. Hutch's phone, and he had given her the number.

"Do you mind if I speak alone?" he asked her.

She nodded, frowning. "Sure, honey. Just bring it back when you're done."

Zim dashed into his own apartment and locked the door.

"Hello?"

_"You need to move," _said Amy.

"What do you—?"

_"They know you're alive, and they know where you are. I'm afraid I might be the reason for the latter, because of our letters."_

Zim froze. "How did this happen?"

_"I don't know how they found out, but I found a note on my back porch just now. It says: 'They come soon for Zim.' I don't know anything other than that."_

"I… see…" said Zim, thinking of Gaz. Was she safe? "Are they going to hurt Gaz?"

_"I don't know, but I'm afraid they won't stop, now that they know. You need to take her and leave."_

"Where should we go?"

There was a pause. _"…I think you need to take her off the earth." _

Zim scowled. "You know I cannot do that."

_"Believe me; it will be best, for all of you. I know you can find a way."_

"'All of us'?" he repeated, puzzled. "It will just be two."

_"That's very sweet of you, but you have to think of the child. You told me all that stuff about your PAKs, right? The baby may not survive without one anyway, if that's how it all works."_

Zim shook his head. "Child?" he demanded. "What child? I meant Gaz and Zim."

There was another pause, and then Amy asked, _"She hasn't told you?" _

"Told me _what?_"

_"I would've thought she'd have told you… She's pregnant."_

Zim nearly dropped the phone. For probably the first time in his life, he had no words.

_"Listen, I have to go now. If they know, they're probably really angry with Dib. It may not be safe for us, either. Just find a way—I know you can."_

She hung up then, leaving Zim standing, unmoving, and alone. He was having difficulty even thinking.

Gaz was pregnant? As in, pregnant? With whose smeet? Surely not his; their DNA was far from compatible. It simply wasn't possible.

Had Gaz canoodled with someone else?

He shook that out of his mind. Now wasn't the time to worry about that. He had Gaz's safety to think about. Suddenly frustrated, he cried aloud, "WHERE is my LAB when I need it?"

Remembering to return Mrs. Hutch's phone, he put all his letters from Amy in a pot and burned them. He tossed the ashes and the entire pot in the trash, then began writing furiously on some notebook paper, not even bothering to remove his human disguise. He had only managed to salvage his disguise technology because he'd left it in Gaz's room, which Dib had retrieved for him for the wedding. It occurred to Zim that he could've escaped a lot earlier with a disguise, but somehow it never came to mind as a real plan while he was in the tube. The tube weakened him a great deal. He had usually been tired and the days had blurred together.

Zim had to wear his disguise whenever he left the house. He hated it, and it wasn't perfect, but it was better than the alternative. The disguise did not protect him from human food, from water, or any of the other hazards he encountered on this miserable planet. Because Gaz had had DNA traces of Zac on her clothing, it had been easy to look and sound like him for the wedding. It was a useful disguise, so he kept it, but he hated it; hated feeling like he was wearing the skin of another man who had touched Gaz. He hated the way Gaz looked at him when he wore it—like she was thinking about her life with the human instead of the alien. It made him angry. Of course Gaz should be with a human. But he was too damn selfish, too damn weak to leave her. His weakness disgusted him. If he were a real man, a real Invader, he would not be swayed by weak desires of the mind.

He hadn't thought of himself as an Invader for years… not since Gaz was in her teenage years and they were in the beginning of their affair. He had gradually given up his mission, and his Tallest didn't seem at all bothered by his silence. Not once had they contacted him, ever, in all these years. Not that they would appreciate how tall he had made himself. Now _that_ was an ingenious invention of his. He was certainly taller than his Tallest. The thought to him was blasphemous, but if it was for the sake of his mission, then that was what had been important.

What was important now, though, was keeping Gaz—and her mystery smeet—safe from the coming danger. He could think about his own skin later.

The smeet was obviously not his, since that was impossible; in which case, there was no need to travel to Irk and install it with a PAK. The logical course of action would be to return Gaz to her hometown and then find a way to get his own self back home to Irk. They'd both be safer that way, and everything would be as it should.

On the other hand… he would have to abandon Gaz. The thought was almost unbearable. But if it was for her safety, for her own good…

By the time Gaz came home, he'd made up his mind.


	19. Hostage

A/N: Another crazy chapter! I apologize yet again for being horrible with updates. At least it hasn't been two WHOLE months yet! XD

—

Chapter Eighteen:

Hostage

—

_Tuesday, Apr 10_

Unable to fully wrap his mind around what had just happened, Dib took a few moments to collect himself as he lay sobbing on the porch. Why would his father do this? He wasn't a cruel man. Distant and busy, perhaps; neglectful of his children but diligent of his work, certainly—but so cold and unfeeling he could kill his own granddaughter and daughter-in-law for information? It didn't sound like the man Dib knew as his father, and yet it was the case.

After some length of time, Dib pulled himself to his feet and stepped for his front door. He stumbled a bit; the pain of the beating he'd received was blooming throughout his body, and, despite himself, he was startled by it. He hobbled on into his house, not bothering to lock the door behind him, and began a short and fervent quest for his car keys and cell phone. At some point he decided a change of clothes was necessary, as the ones he wore were still damp and uncomfortable. Having done all that, he grabbed a coat, hurried outside, and slid into his car, starting it immediately.

Whatever fatigue he might have felt earlier that evening had vanished during his father's visit, but it had been well over an hour since then, and Dib felt it settling back into his bones. The heat from the car wasn't helping, so he switched it to air conditioning and turned on the radio for some mindless sound. He had to get to his father's lab and save his wife and daughter.

_Insolent boy._

His knuckles whitened as he gripped the steering wheel.

_Don't be coy with me. I know you've been lying to me this whole time._

_I know he's alive._

How in the world could his father have ever found that out? It was one thing if the Membrane faculty had been actively trying—they could have trailed Amy's correspondence easily—but the very fact that they hadn't noticed for four years proved they hadn't been doing that. Something must have triggered their attention to it, but what might have done that?

_I know he's got Gaz. And I know you helped him escape._

There was no way he could know these things, and yet he did. Dib wracked his brain trying to crack the mystery, but came up with only dead ends. It was one thing to maybe know that Zim was alive, and maybe even that Dib had been responsible for his escape, but how would Membrane know Gaz was with him? He had asked about Gaz once in four years, and Dib's false answer had satisfied him. But if he knew all that, what else did he know?

At least one thing was certain: Zim and Gaz were still safe, for the moment. Their location was clearly something the professor did not know. If he could just communicate with them, warn them of what was about to happen…

He pulled off to the side of the road and picked up his cell. The rain was coming down too hard now to risk his life by being distracted on the phone. He had Gaz's number, but he didn't know if it still worked, or if she even had a phone anymore. He quickly rejected the last thought; everyone had a phone these days. Still, even if she'd changed her number, which was very plausible, he needed to give it a shot. He tapped her name and it began dialing.

_Give me the location of Zim and your sister, and I will relinquish your wife and child._

"My wife and child…" Dib muttered under his breath. He'd argued with his father on this point several times in the last few years. Professor Membrane simply could not be bothered, it seemed, to learn the name of his daughter in law or his granddaughter. On one occasion he had called Amy 'May,' and on another 'Anna,' but aside from that he referred to her only as 'your wife.' And he had met Val, but she had not won the affection of her grandfather despite her best attempts.

And yet he had called Zim by his name… not 'the alien,' as Dib would have expected. Zim's name was more important to the professor than Amy's or Val's.

_You're going to reveal to me the location of Zim and Gaz—right now, and don't tell me you don't know it—and everything will be just fine._

_If you refuse… I'm afraid you will have to suffer the consequences._

"Come on, Gaz. Pick up."

_"I'm sorry, but the number you've called is no longer in service."_

Dib sighed and tossed his phone into the passenger seat, then leaned his forehead against the steering wheel. He didn't want to sell out Gaz and Zim, but he had no other choice. Gaz—she would be okay. Gaz would be safe, but Zim… Zim would die. Dib clenched his teeth together.

Maybe if he lied… but it was very likely Amy and Val would be held hostage until Gaz and Zim had been found. If he lied, he could risk their safety. And that simply wasn't worth it.

_Let's cut the bullshit, Son, shall we?_

He put the car back into drive. He didn't have a choice.

_I felt this was more… dramatic._

"Fuck you," he said under his breath.

—

Amy had Val in her lap when the professor returned. The room in which they were being held was not bad; it had a comfortable bed and chairs, a bookcase, and a TV equipped with Netflix. The little girl had been very frightened when she was stolen away, but she had since calmed down mostly and was being very brave. Amy didn't entirely know if she could say the same about herself, but she was trying, for Val.

When they had come to take her, she had woken up straightaway, but had had no time to run or even scream; the men had shoved a gag in her mouth and held her arms with grips like iron. They tied her hands behind her back and put a blindfold over her eyes.

She and Val had been put in the back of a van, and she had tried to break them out, but to no avail; the door had refused to open. When the van had stopped, they had been carried out like dolls for some time before being left in this room, where their gags and blindfolds were removed.

It was the first time Amy had seen her father-in-law in some time, and the second time Val had ever met him. He stood tall and rigid, his face hidden as usual behind goggles and the collar of his lab coat. Amy wondered, not for the first time, if he ever wore anything else.

"Good morning, ladies," he said.

Amy was a little stunned. _Well, what did you expect?_ she asked herself. _Some kind of movie villain scene?_

"Better for some than for others," she replied.

He actually chuckled at that, which surprised her. "That it is," he agreed. "Better for me than for any of you, I must say! Though I hope I have made well enough accommodations. Only the very best for my family, after all."

Amy scowled. "We're hostages, aren't we?"

"Yes. It is regrettable, but was ultimately necessary. Fear not, though, my dear; my son will see reason, I assure you of it."

"What could he possibly have that you need so desperately you have to capture us?" she demanded, feigning ignorance.

He laughed again. "Please," he said, holding up a gloved hand, "let us be truthful, won't we? I know you have been in correspondence with my daughter."

Amy's face paled, but she kept her expression blank. "Oh?"

"It is good to know she is safe and well," the professor went on, "though it would rather have been in her better interest to have been the opposite."

Val glanced at her grandfather from her place in the corner of the bed. He didn't notice her.

"And why's that?" asked Amy through her teeth.

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" The professor shrugged. "If she is not in harm's way, it is because she has become friendly with the alien. And that means she will resist us when we take him away."

Amy could barely contain her anger anymore. "Why do you need to kill him? He has done nothing to you! Can't you let him live in peace?"

Membrane sighed and took a step forward. Amy backed up and held her hand to him. "Don't you take another step," she warned. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Emily," he said, "do you think I am really going to stand here and deliver an exposition to you? I have come to ask questions, and I am not giving you any more information."

She threw her hands up, not bothering to correct him again on her name. "Fine. Ask your questions." _They will tell me what you don't know._

"Very well… First question." He reached inside his coat and pulled something out. "Do you know what this is?"

She gasped. She was staring down the barrel of a gun.


	20. Swell

A/N: Shorter chapter, and I don't think I executed it as well as I could have, but here it is anyway. I hope you all enjoy it. :)

—

Chapter Nineteen:

Swell

—

_Monday, Apr 9_

"We must speak, earth-female."

Gaz dropped her purse and keys down on the kitchen counter, gazing at him quizzically. "Hello to you, too," said she. "What's going on?"

"Come here."

She frowned, wary of where this was going, but came to the couch where he sat and sat beside him. "Am I in trouble?" she asked, jokingly.

He didn't laugh. "I got a call from the Dib's bride," he told her. "She told me you are with smeet."

Gaz felt her blood run cold and the color drain from her face. "What… do you mean?"

"A _smeet,_" he said, pointing accusingly at her abdomen. "This thing you humans call a baby."

"Oh," said Gaz, still pale. "Well… Um…"

"How could you do that to me?"

Gaz scowled. "Do what?" she asked defensively. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't know it was even possible."

"Do not lie to the great Zim." He stood, turning away from her. "With your pitiful human DNA, you would never take hold with an Irken smeet. It is someone else's."

Horror washed over her, followed quickly by anger. She stood as well, fists clenched. "You think I _cheated _on you? That I've been screwing around with someone else?"

"Yes!" Zim declared, facing her again. "That is the only explanation! You and I cannot _physically_ reproduce! Look at you! You are hiding your body from me. Your smeet has taken hold!"

"That's not true!" she cried. "I have not slept with anyone other than you in years!"

He flinched, but she felt no guilt or remorse for her words. "Take off your sweatshirt and everything underneath," he commanded.

She laughed bitterly. "Are you insane? You think I'm going to just strip for you after what you've just said?"

He grabbed her arm and pulled her to him roughly enough that it hurt her. She tried to free herself with her other arm, but he was stronger than she, and with his other hand gripped the bottom of the sweatshirt.

"No—Stop!"

He collected her shirt in his hand and wrenched up, exposing her belly. There was an unmistakable swell in her abdomen. Zim's eyes were hard and cold; Gaz's filled with angry tears. His grip loosened and she jerked away, pulling the shirt and sweatshirt back over herself. She glared at him with all the venom she could muster.

"It's growing too fast," she spat. "How can it possibly be another human's when it's growing so fast? HOW, Zim? HOW?"

She thought she saw something flash in his eyes, but it was gone quickly and he looked away. "…Do you love him?" he asked, his voice stiff.

His question threw her off guard. Her fatigue hit her like a falling boulder, and she fell to her knees. Zim made no move to help her.

Despite how many years they had been together, and despite knowing fully well their feelings for each other, neither of them had ever said the three special words to each other. They did not discuss their feelings in such blunt language. Gaz hadn't even said the words to Zac, though he had said them to her many times. She didn't know if she had ever said _I love you_ to anyone in her life.

And now Zim was standing here before her, unaccepting of the truth that she hadn't strayed, that she had only ever been with him, and that therefore the baby _must_ be his… and he dared to ask her if she loved the father of her unborn child. How could he be so cruel? How had she become so weak?

_Do I love him… _she thought, hollow inside. _Of course I do. I love Zim._

She had no choice; she had to say it. It was now or never.

"Zim, I…"

She tried, but the words would not come. She felt her chance slipping away, but all she could say was, "Yes."

He said nothing, only nodded. "Very well." He looked around at the apartment and retrieved his disguise device. "There is nothing else in this apartment that is mine," he told her, and he activated the device.

As the alien face of Zim morphed into the very human face of Zac, Gaz realized his intentions with a shock. She got to her feet, using the couch's armrest to support her, and rushed to him.

"Don't you dare." She pointed a finger at him. "Don't you dare leave me. You can't leave me—it's _your_ smeet!"

"I wish that were the truth, but it is not." He took his hand off the doorknob and hesitantly cupped her cheek. The face he wore dissolved back into his own; the five fingers became three. "I am sorry," he said, his voice gentle but steady. "Truly."

Her entire body trembled as he pressed his lips to her forehead, and a tear slid down her cheek. "No," she said, reaching to clutch his shirt in her hands. "No, you can't… please, Zim, don't leave me…" She began to sob, but he did not move to wipe a tear, nor to hold her.

"I love you, Gaz." His face changed again, and then he was gone.

She stared at the door through the tears in her eyes. _He said it. Why couldn't I?_

Her anger rose again, and she reached for the knob, swinging the door open and stepping outside. "ZIM!" she hollered, looking all round for any sign of him. She looked down the balcony and hurried down the stairs, clutching the railing so she wouldn't fall. He was nowhere to be found. "ZIM!"

He had done it perfectly, and was out of her sight. He watched her from atop the roof of their apartment, listening to her cries and watching her search frantically for him. It took every ounce of his strength to stay here and do nothing, to not rush to her side and tell her he would never leave her. He had to leave her; he must. It was for her own good.

He didn't know who the smeet's father was, and he didn't want to know. It wasn't him; that much was certain. It was, however, the perfect opportunity to leave her life and free her forever. Had this all been different, he maybe could have begrudgingly accepted the smeet.

Soon enough, though, she would return home, unburdened by his need to remain hidden. She would be taken care of, and she would be where she belonged. Most importantly, she would be safe. Without him in her life, she was safe. And that was all that mattered.


	21. Seattle

A/N: Hi, all! I've had this site open in a tab for a couple days now, trying to get myself to update... and finally I have! Hope you enjoy this rather intense chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! :D

—

Chapter Twenty:

Seattle

—

_Tuesday, Apr 10_

Professor Membrane was brushing gunpowder off his coat when an assistant told him he had a call, and also that his son had arrived. Membrane nodded and commanded the assistant to keep Dib in the waiting room until he had finished taking the call; the assistant hurried to the task, and Membrane made his way into the conference room. He rather thought they had chosen a poor time to call, but it was hard to expect good judgment from imbeciles.

He entered the conference room and locked the door. "I trust you have a very good reason for this?" he asked them. "I am in the middle of a breakthrough. My son is about to divulge to me the information on your defective's whereabouts."

"Erm, yes," said the red one nervously, "that was sort of what we were wondering about. You see, we just received a distress signal from our cloning warehouse. It appears that one of our PAKs has gone missing."

Membrane shrugged and held up his arms. "What do I care about that? Unless you mean to say Zim has returned to Irk, to switch his PAK out for one that is not defective?"

"That would be stupid of him!" the purple one cried. "I wish he HAD done that. Then we wouldn't have this problem!"

"What my colleague _means _to say," said Red, "is that were Zim to swap his PAK for a new one, his entire personality would change. I believe we may have told you this once before, that an Irken's personality and abilities are coded into their PAKs."

The professor crossed his arms over his chest. "All I remember was the important part: that you have engineered your race to be physically dependent on your 'PAKs,' and the removal of it causes death within minutes."

Red was taken aback. "We told you that?" he asked, stunned. He glanced accusingly at Purple, who shrank away and laughed nervously. Red groaned in frustration.

"Unless you have some _actual_ news to deliver me, I believe we are done here," said the professor, reaching forward to press the button that would turn off their monitor.

"No—wait!"

He looked up questioningly at Red.

"We don't know who took the PAK," said the Tallest, "but it wouldn't be any of us. There is no reason for an Irken to steal one, as they already have their own. Zim seems the most likely candidate, being a defective in the first place, but what we can't discern is why he would choose to do so _now,_ after all this time."

"Perhaps he has gotten hold of or built a ship finally after all this time," suggested Membrane impatiently. "We don't have any idea what he's been doing or where he is, though I couldhave already learned that, were we not having this pointless discussion! Now stop wasting my time!"

Without waiting to hear another word, he shut them off and left the conference room, thoroughly irritated.

—

Dib was ushered into what appeared to be a waiting room, and he yelled at the assistant to bring him to his father this moment.

"I'm sorry, sir, but the professor is in a meeting. He'll be available shortly."

"Damn his meeting!" shouted Dib. "This is about my wife and my daughter! How dare you! You tell him I want to see him right this second!"

"You are over-excited and probably exhausted," said the assistant. "Shall I bring you a cup of tea or coffee? Or will that agitate you further?"

Dib shook his head and waved his hands around wildly. "Yes, sure—bring me some coffee, or a glass of warm milk—how about I just sit here and you go down to the fucking 24-Hour Diner and grab me a stack of pancakes and eggs? Bacon, too; don't forget the bacon. I'll go crazy without my fucking bacon!"

The assistant seemed unfazed by his hysterics. "I suppose I could do that," he said dryly. Dib couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

Dib paced agitatedly around the waiting room several times before settling down in a chair, pressing his elbows into his knees and running his hands through his shaggy black hair. Just yesterday morning Amy had mentioned it was looking to be time for a cut.

_Amy,_ he thought miserably. _My love. My Amy. Please be safe. You and Val. My girls._

Gaz's face floated into his mind, and he clenched his hair in his fists. _I'm so sorry, Gaz. I'm so sorry._

"He's ready for you," said the assistant, returning to the room. Dib looked up, puzzled. He hadn't noticed he'd left.

Dib stood without a word and followed after the assistant into another room, where he was left alone and the door was closed behind him. He glanced up and saw his father standing on the room's other end, his back to Dib, and staring out a window into another room.

"Well?" asked the professor.

Dib flexed his fists. "Can't we…" He swallowed hard. "Can't we talk about this? …Dad?"

"There's nothing to talk about," was the answer. "You know my terms. You will either tell me the location of Zim and your sister, or your family will suffer. There will be no negotiation."

"_Why_? Why does it have to be that way? Can't you just explain to me what's going on?"

"Why are you so reluctant to give me what I want?" Professor Membrane turned around to look at him, his hands behind his back. "What does the alien matter to you? Surely you want your sister to be safe?"

"Gaz _is_ safe," Dib insisted. "She's safe with him. He's not a threat; don't you understand that?" It felt strange for him to hear himself say these things about Zim out loud, after having been told the same thing all his life.

Membrane sighed. "If she is safe, all the better; however… are you certain that it is her safety and the safety of the alien you need to be concerned with right now?"

"Why are you making me choose between my sister—_your_ daughter, remember?—and my wife and daughter—also your daughter-in-law and granddaughter?"

The professor shook his head, disappointed. "Son, you will never advance in the name of science if you insist on using these arbitrary titles."

Dib was aghast. _"Arbitrary?!"_

"Enough!" Membrane threw his hands up. "I have had enough of this. It is very late—or rather, early in the morning. I am tired of you." He reached into his coat and pulled out the gun. "Relinquish what you know, or I will have you detained, and you will watch as I with my own hands extinguish the life from those whom you hold dear."

At the sight of the gun, Dib lost hope, and sank back against the wall, his head down.

"They're in Seattle," he told him. "They live in an apartment there." He gave him the address.

Membrane jotted it down on a tablet, then put it in his coat pocket where he'd also replaced the gun. "You have done well, Son," he said.

"Now will you let Amy and Val come home with me?" Dib implored, feeling exhaustion once more settle into his bones. "I am sure they're as tired as I am."

"What's that?" Membrane looked at him, a little surprised. Then he laughed. "Oh! You thought you and your family would go _free_?" He chuckled again, extremely amused. "I thought you would have figured it out… but of course I should have just told you. No, you and your family will continue to be detained here until such time as we have acquired both of our targets and brought them back here."

Dib was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly burst into a loud rage, yelling at the top of his lungs as he ran for his father and dove to tackle him. Membrane dodged and brought his arm down on Dib's back, crashing his son not only into the wall but the floor as well.

"How many times must I bring you to the floor tonight, Son?" asked the professor, disgusted. "You're weak. I can't believe I ever thought you a successful product of my time and energies."

Several of his men entered the room then and came to collect Dib, whose blood was churning with adrenaline. He managed to punch one of his captors in the jaw and another in the throat before there was a cloth procured and pressed to his face, and an arm tight under his neck. He felt his mind go numb with the chemicals and the lack of oxygen.

Before he succumbed to unconsciousness, he heard his father say, "He is clearly unstable. Forget my earlier call to place him with his family. We'll need a solitary room for him."

_You… bastard…_ he thought, his eyes finally closing.


	22. Apartment

A/N: I am shameless lol. Junior year of college halfway over, folks! Maybe I'll finish before I graduate ;) Love all you faithful readers.

—

Chapter Twenty-One:

Apartment

—

The chirping of Gaz's alarm woke her. She was on the couch under a blanket, the TV still on but playing nothing, and the floor was littered with wadded up tissues. Her head ached and her eyes were swollen. When had she gone to sleep?

She picked her phone up off the coffee table and silenced the alarm. She thought seriously about calling in sick to work, but decided not to give Zim the satisfaction.

Zim.

His name would have roused emotion within her again, but all she felt was hollowness. She had cried and vomited her insides out for hours, and now she felt nothing. No anger, no sadness, no pain. Just bitter emptiness.

She showered and washed her face, doing what she could to make herself look fresh. If she was going to be alone, fine, but she might as well look like it didn't hurt like fucking hell. The last thing she needed was somebody's pity.

As she left the apartment and got on the bus for work, she wondered what she would do now. She didn't exactly have any friends, and now that Zim had left her, there wasn't any reason for her to stay here. She could go home now, if she liked.

Home… what was that? The shitty little town she'd grown up in, and had fled with her lover to protect his life? No. Her home had been Zim, and he had left her. She needed to find a new home, then.

But where?

—

She got a call near the end of her shift. It was Mrs. Hutch, the neighbor lady.

"Hey," she said, "what's up?"

"Don't come home. Whatever you do, don't come home."

Gaz frowned. "What? Why?"

"Some men came by and broke into your apartment. They tore the place apart looking for you and then interrogated all the neighbors. I'm the only one who knows anything about you. I didn't divulge anything, of course; but what you need to do is stay away, at least for the night."

"Where the hell am I supposed to go?" Gaz demanded. There was silence for a time, so she pressed, "These men, did they mean to take me home? Well, Zim and I broke up. I'll gladly go home with them."

"I don't know," said Mrs. Hutch. "Do what you think is best. I called the police, but they don't appear to be arriving. The men seem to be gone now, but I wouldn't chance it. I have a bad feeling about them."

Gaz hung up on the woman and promptly clocked out. She wrote a note—_I quit—_and left it on her boss's desk before grabbing her things and sprinting to the bus station.

—

Zim glanced at himself in a window. His new disguise was of a tall, yet somewhat unassuming redhead with blue eyes and glasses. He didn't know if he liked it, but it was better than continuing to wear Zac. Aside from his loathing of all that came with wearing the damn guy's face, it was too recognizable. Gaz, for one, would know right away who he was. Now, he could watch over her as he pleased, and she'd be none the wiser.

He returned to the apartment to find the front door was wide open. When he peered in, he saw the place completely trashed. _"Gaz,"_ he murmured under his breath, dashing inside. No one was inside, and oddly, it looked like nothing had been stolen. He looked at the clock. Gaz would be coming home from work about this time. He breathed a sigh of relief and left the apartment, making his way to the roof to await her return.

_If the people who did this come back, I'll follow them, _he thought._ It would benefit Gaz best for me to stay out of sight._

When finally he did see the head of purple hair moving through the parking lot, a black van came close behind her. Zim froze, fighting every instinct to collect her and take her away. She turned toward the men who came from the van, and a conversation ensued that Zim could not hear. He considered going closer, but felt he might lose sight if he did.

Unexpectedly, one of the men grabbed Gaz by the hair and threw a fist in her face. Sounds of shouting and a few shrieks filled the air, and Zim could restrain himself no longer. He got down from the roof as quickly as possible and began hurrying down the stairs to reach the parking lot.

"—stupid bitch! How could you let him get away?!"

A fist slammed into Gaz's stomach and she collapsed. The man began to kick her with his boot, and another made a call on his phone.

"HEY!" shouted Zim. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

The men glanced at him briefly, then nodded to each other. The one who was beating Gaz pulled out a Taser and marched toward Zim while the other lifted Gaz from the ground and took her into the van.

"You saw nothing, boy," said the man with the Taser, holding out his weapon.

"I don't fucking think so! Let her go!" Zim slammed into him at a run, knocking both of them over. The man grunted and stuck his Taser on Zim's back, letting loose the voltage. Zim's body convulsed and he thought briefly that his disguise might not hold out. Fortunately, it did. Before he passed out, he saw the man getting into the van and driving away.

He woke up not long after, but the van was gone. He clenched his teeth and fists, but he knew where they'd be going: back across the country, to Membrane and Dib.

_Dib,_ he thought._ That fucking traitor._

He had no tech but his disguise maker, which he kept on his person at all times. It was going to have to be by earth travel, then. He returned to the apartment to look for money, but found only around twenty bucks. _It'll have to do,_ he thought, and started running for the bus station.

_I'll get you, Gaz. I'll get you back safe. And then I'll kill that man who hit you._


	23. Message

A/N: This is quite an exciting chapter if you ask me :) Hope you all enjoy! I love you lots!

—

Chapter Twenty-Two:

Message

—

John Phillips rubbed his temples and took another sip of coffee. It was late afternoon, but he couldn't be more exhausted. What he really needed was a cigarette, but he'd promised his wife he'd quit. It hadn't been going well so far. The headaches weren't helping.

"Hey, John," said his partner, sitting across from him. Nathaniel was a decent sort of cop, but he was young and often liked to pretend to play vigilante. John had warned him not to do anything stupid or else he'd get fired, but it didn't seem to matter what he said.

"You look like hell," commented Nathaniel, always the observational type.

"Yeah, well, so do you," barked John, wanting to just go home and sleep. It had been a weird day.

Just to make it worse, the phone chose that moment to ring. John groaned and picked it up. "Seattle Police Department," he said, trying not to sound like he hated his life.

_"Where the hell were you?"_ demanded a woman over the other end.

"What?" John blinked. "Ma'am, what are you talking about?"

_"You know damn well what I'm talking about. I called 911 two hours ago about a robbery in my apartment complex, and no one showed. I called again thirty minutes ago when my neighbor came home and was beaten in the parking lot, then stolen away in a van. Now she's gone. What the hell is wrong with you people?"_

John sat up straighter. He had been out on the highway pulling people over for speeding, and nobody had said anything over the radio about this. He saw Nathaniel listening in on the other line, his brow creased in concern.

"Ma'am, what is your name and address?" asked John, grabbing a pen.

_"I am Marie Hutch. I've given the address twice now. What could be so important at the office today that you can't be bothered to respond to two 911 calls?!"_

"John," said a gruff voice from above them, "give me the phone. Nathaniel, get off the line."

They obeyed reluctantly as their superior took the phone in his hands. They glanced at each other in confusion.

"Ah, yes, Mrs. Hutch. We'll be over right away. Apologies for the delay." Without another word, he hung up.

"Sir… what's going on?"

"Listen here, John. You aren't to do anything about this. We briefed everyone on this earlier but you must not've been paying attention. There've been orders from above not to interfere in this case. Do you understand me? We'll send someone over to console the old hag, and then nothing more will be done."

He left as quickly as he had come.

"Well," said Nathaniel hastily, "we're going, right?"

John blinked at him. "Are you deaf? We were just told not ten seconds ago to leave this alone. Now shut up."

"A girl has been assaulted and kidnapped, possibly robbed, John," said the other man in disgust. "You want to leave this alone?"

As his partner stood to put his coat on, John sank back in his chair and wondered what to do next. After a moment of contemplation, he grabbed a cigarette. "Damn it, Nate," he grumbled, reaching for his keys.

—

Amy woke from a restless sleep. Valerie was nestled in her arms, but did not appear to be asleep either.

"Was someone here, Mama?" asked the little girl nervously.

Amy turned on the light and slid out of the bed. The room was empty, the door shut as usual. She walked to it and tried the handle. It didn't budge, as expected. She sighed, though in relief or disappointment she couldn't say.

"Mama. What's that?"

She turned to see her daughter pointing at a small round object lying on the coffee table. A shiver ran up Amy's spine. _How did that get here?_ she wondered.

Her investigation did not last long. There was a button, and when she pressed it, it made a noise.

Words. It was saying words.

_"Pretty lady," _it said, in a bizarrely familiar voice.

_"Don't be scared. Escape plan ready. You be rescued soon._

_"M in with Almighty Tallest. Danger._

_"Smeet may need PAK so I stole one. The last one's smeets never born alive so no one knows._

_"Filthy human genome superior to Irken._

_"Goodbye now."_

The object grew very hot, and Amy dropped it onto the table, where it promptly fell apart. The pieces then became ash, until only a pile remained.

The silence was almost deafening, until Val asked, "What is smeet?"

Amy's blood ran cold. _The smeet. Isn't that what Zim calls a baby? Does he mean Gaz's baby?_

_The last one's smeets never born alive._

What last one? Had this happened before? An… an Irken with a human? How was that even possible? And Membrane was in league with the Tallest? What… how… _why_? Had he learned of them when they took in Zim? Zim had never mentioned anything like that in his letters…

Val appeared at her side with the garbage can, startling her half to death. The five-year-old looked up at her imploringly. "It'll be okay, Mama." She pointed at the ash. "The robot said so."

Robot.

Amy fainted.


End file.
